


Perfect Illusion

by Trouble_in_SK



Category: Carmilla (Web Series), Carmilla (Web Series) RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe- No Supernatural, Angst with a Happy Ending, Broken Engagement, Business Woman Perry, CEO Carmilla, Cheating, Danny's a Lawyer, Elementary School Teacher Laura, Engagement, Eventual Romance, F/F, F/M, Fluff and Smut, Gen, Lawyer Matti, Nonbinary LaFontaine, Scientist Lafontaine, Slow Burn, Smut
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-09-28
Updated: 2017-01-02
Packaged: 2018-08-18 09:53:27
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 15
Words: 26,465
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8157970
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Trouble_in_SK/pseuds/Trouble_in_SK
Summary: Years after college, Laura Hollis finds herself living the American Dream as a school teacher in New York City and being engaged to lawyer Danny Lawrence. Unable to shake the feeling of emptiness, Laura discovers the building near her is a new headquarters for a International Business owned by the ghost of her heart. What happens when Laura realizes she lost herself along the years and that the American Dream isn't a fantasy, but a nightmare? Who will she blame when she figures out she was wrong all these years? What will she do when her father suddenly becomes ill and shes forced to see the true colors of those around her? 
A story about losing yourself and having your morals challenged to discover nothing is ever as it seems. Sometimes good people do bad things, and horrible people appear great. No matter how hard you fight it, somethings are meant to be.





	1. Where We Found Ourselves

**Author's Note:**

> Hello Babes,
> 
> This is my first attempt at fan-fiction and a source to express my creative writing. My apologies if they're any mistakes/spelling/grammar errors in this story.

“Laura Elizabeth Hollis, will you do the Honor of being my Wife?”

Three months. It has been three months sense her girlfriend of 6 years proposed to her, and ever sense she muttered yes Laura couldn’t shake the feeling of emptiness from her heart. Her Fiance Danny Lawrence has been absolutely perfect from day one. They met at Silas University and although Laura was reluctant to be with Danny, she eventually decided to give Danny a chance after her Jr. year of college. After all Danny had held her for hours as Laura cried herself to sleep after having her heart crushed by a girl who promised her forever. She carried Laura home when she tried to numb her pain through endless amounts of vodka and sex. At the time the agony of Laura’s broken heart seemed to completely immobilize her, but eventually Danny miraculously mended the pieces back together.

Now they both live in a spacious 3 bedroom apartment in the North part of New York City, which is the prime location for both their jobs. During college Laura changed her major to English and got a job as a Middle School English Teacher. Danny on the other hand continued her education to becoming a Lawyer and was now working at a prestigious firm in the city. Laura was incredibly proud of how much Danny accomplished and considered herself blessed that she got to call Danny hers. Nonetheless L aura couldn’t comprehend why she felt like she threw away her individuality and dreams once she let Danny put that diamond ring on her finger. Laura checked her watch trying her hardest not to look at the rock on her finger, and immediately pulled out her phone to write a quick text to her Best Friend Perry.

**Laura (6:35pm):** Hey Perr! I lost track of time grading papers after class, leaving now!

**Perry (6:35pm)** : No worries Dear, the Lasagna has 20 more minutes left before I take it out of the oven. See you soon!

Laura smiled while putting her phone away and gathered all her papers. After turning off all the lights and locking up her classroom she quickly grabbed a cab outside and gave them Perry’s address. Laura and Perry met freshman year of high school and have been a huge part of each other’s lives sense then. Perry had a front row seat through Laura’s downward spiral and Laura cherished how Perry would take care of her without question. She couldn’t even remember how many times Perry would pick her up at ungodly hours of the night, bringing her home to clean off the alcohol and sex smell. Perry would smile at Laura and hum a soft lullaby while bathing a drunken Laura crying to herself in the tub. Perry never asked what happened or lectured her about the choices she made during this time. She would only clean up her best friend and cook her a big meal before tucking her safely into bed. Laura made sure during the years after college she would stay in contact with her best friend by having an ongoing dinner date every Thursday.

Laura arrived at Perry’s town home at 7:15 due to traffic. Perry lived in lively suburb of New York City that she paid for by owning a wildly growing cleaning business with her business partner Betty. Right after college Perry discovered that her homemade cleaning products worked better than any other products currently on the market. She came up with the idea of selling the cleaner while simultaneously creating a maid like service to a large part of the city. Betty was a finance major and took care of all the paperwork while Perry did ordering and scheduling for her 700 employees. Needless to say Perry did very well for herself after college and Laura couldn’t be happier for her best friend.


	2. Changes

“Laura, Honey there is some news that I have discovered that I fear will bring you some distress.” Perry began to say while reaching for Laura’s hands across the table. Laura’s hands instantly began to gather precipitation and an overwhelming amount of anxiety flooded her mind.

“Okay? W-what is it?” Laura stuttered while sparring Perry and pulling her hands away.

“Okay I’m just going to come out and say it then,” Perry stated while straightening her back and putting her hands in her lap.” You are aware of that new building that has been under construction on 5th Avenue? Yes well it has been announced to the public that it will now be the new headquarters of C.K. Enterprises.”

“C.K. Enterprises? You mean that new company that’s all over newspapers? Danny goes on for hours about how much she loves that everything they’ve been doing around the world.”

“Dear they are not a new company at all, they renamed the company a few years back. The company was previously called The Karnstien Corporation but after their CEO passed away, the company was inherited and renamed.”

“Karnstien!? Y-you mean…” Laura said in between breaths. Panic overtook her and she felt sharp pains in her chest from her heart pounding .

“Carmilla is the C in C.K. Enterprises. She owns the company Laura, but that shouldn’t matter because you’re with Danny. The city is gigantic and the probability of you running into her is very small Dear.”

“Excuse me,” Laura mumbled while abruptly standing up and storming off into the bathroom. She flicked on the light and locked the door. She rushed to the sink and turned the water on the coldest it could go. She looked up to the mirror and willed her tears not to drop. She watched herself take deep breathes trying to gain control of her breathing and stop the pain in her chest. Her hands shook making it hard to cup her hands and fill them with the cold water. She repeatedly splashed the cold water against her face until she began to calm down. She turned off the faucet and looked back into the mirror at the water droplets trailing down her face mimicking her unshed tears. Why did this bother her so much? The last time she saw Carmilla, she was a 21 year old girl who thought she was in love. That was 6 years ago. Now she has agreed to spend the rest of her life with a woman who would never do the things Carmilla has done. Danny is kind and understanding and would do anything for Laura. Danny was her knight and shining armor who would always protect her from the darkness of the world. No Laura would not allow herself to be upset over Carmilla after what she has done. She would not shed one more tear for that woman. Perry was right, the chances of Laura running into Carmilla wasn’t very likely. Carmilla would continue to be just another ghost in Laura’s past. Laura whipped her face with the hand towel and took a deep breath. She looked herself dead in the eye and squared her shoulders.

“Never again.” She whispered to herself in the mirror. Laura straightened out her blouse and headed back into the dining room to finish dinner with her best friend.

………………….

Laura found herself walking to the corner coffee shop after a long day of teaching. She was beyond exhausted from chasing around angsty little teenagers and was in dire need of a pick me up before she started grading tests. She pulled open the doors of the cozy little coffee shop and was greeted by the comforting smell of coffee. She ordered herself a Chai Tea Latte with an extra shot of espresso and headed upstairs to the more secluded tables in the shop. She needed a nice quiet place to grade her papers and didn’t want to get distracted by the conversations around her. She walked up to a table near a window and took out her 7 different classes tests from the previous day. Laura hoped to tackle a large portion of the tests during the weekend so she could spend Sunday with Danny before she flew on a plane to see a client for her upcoming trial. Laura gathered her long honey brown hair and tied it up into a messy bun before downing half her chai. She clicked open her pen and started the tedious job of grading. A few hours in she noticed a few people gathered in the upstairs seating to work on business as well. Her eyes were starting to hurt and she decided to take a quick break from grading. Laura took out her laptop and decided to reward herself for all her hard work with one episode of Dr. Who. Of course she has seen every episode and could pretty much recite it word for word, she still thought this would be a wonderful way to rest her brain. She began chewing on her red pen as she waited for the episode to load. Clicking the pen over and over again with her tongue and watching the little red circle loading on the screen. Annoyed she looked up quickly gasping to herself. Currently sitting across from her at the café sat the ghost of her heart.

Laura was pretty sure she was going into cardiac arrest as she stared at the familiar woman across the room. Carmilla Karnstien looked like a model right out of Forbes Magazine. Her glorious dark brown hair flowed down her shoulders in magnificent waves that would put waterfalls to shame. She wore black reading glass that didn’t cover up the crinkle forming as she furrowed her eyebrows focusing on typing at her laptop. She wore light makeup paired with red lipstick to enhance her porcelain skin. Carmilla had on a perfectly tailored blood red button up shirt that had the top two buttons undone revealing her collar bone among other things. The sleeves of the red shirt were rolled up to the middle of her bicep allowing a clear view of her forearms flexing as she furiously typed. She wore dark gray slacks and black heels to tie the outfit together. Her legs were crossed and Laura could see one heel dangling from her foot swaying back and forth mindlessly. Carmilla radiated confidence and sex appeal as she began to subtly chew on her bottom lip. Laura’s mouth went dry and she suddenly felt very warm in the café. Like a deer in headlights Laura just stared unable to process who was in front of her. She didn’t think Carmilla saw her when she came in, she would most certainly not be at the same location as Laura if she had. Suddenly Carmilla glanced at her watch and stood up to put her laptop and documents into her briefcase. She gracefully picked up her Dark gray blazer jacket and elegantly slid it on. She then threw her head back and closed her eyes as she gathered her wavy hair into a bun. With her head thrown back Laura could see the tendons in Carmilla’s neck flexing as she gathered her hair. Laura crouched down and hid behind her computer screen in fear Carmilla would look her way and see her. When Laura took the chance to look at Carmilla again all she could see was a dark figure disappearing down the steps on the opposite side.

Laura let out a shaky breath she didn’t know she was holding. She looked into the computer screen and could see her own reflection. _This is real. That totally just happened. You just saw Carmilla Karnstien and she looked stupidly attractive. Stupid jerk couldn’t get fat over the years or grow a wart on her stupid face?!_

Laura groaned as she rubbed her temples and controlled her emotions. She checked her watch and decided it was also time for her to head home. She promised Danny she would make spaghetti for dinner tonight. Laura quickly gathered her things and headed downstairs. She was just about to exit the coffee shop when a voice called out to her.

“Oh Um Miss!?” Laura turned around to find an employee rushing towards her with a to go cup in his hand. “This was ordered for you.” He handed Laura the warm cup and turned around to give his attention back to the line at the shop. Confused Laura looked at the order tag printed on the side of the cup. It was a hot chocolate ordered 5 minutes ago by a C.K. Suddenly Lauras stomach dropped to the floor. She did see me. She knew I was there the entire time and yet she had the audacity to stay and sit there like it was no big deal? Then she orders me coffee like that would make everything okay!? The only reason why Im going to drink this is because I don’t believe in wasting things.

Laura stormed off into the streets heading towards her apartment while furiously clutching the paper cup in her hand.

Danny got home a few hours later, entering their shared home with the welcoming smell of Italian Cuisine. Laura could hear her throw her suitcase on the table near the door and kick her shoes off at the shoe rack. She continued stirring the heavenly sauce while sighing deeply. She knew she was going to have to walk over there and pick up her shoes and coat like she did every evening. Danny didn’t even bother with greeting her fiancé who was cooking her a delicious meal. Danny just walked into their bedroom and turned on the shower. Laura put the cover on the pot of sauce to let it reduce for a few minutes and walked through the living room up to the door. She grabbed Danny’s leather black shoes and carried them to the shoe rack placing them in the open space. She walked back to the recliner and picked up the black pea coat that was halfassly tossed there and she hung it up in the closet. Laura began to assemble the dish for dinner and placed Danny’s in the microwave to keep warm. Laura took out a wine glass and poured herself a glass of her favorite blend of Chianti Classico. Laura took her plate of pasta and glass of wine and walked over to the dining room table. As Laura ate the dish her mind went back to the café with Carmilla.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If need be, please feel free to contact me on Tumblr. My URL is shilohmmkay! I hope you're enjoying the read!


	3. The Heartache of You

(6 years ago)

“Cupcake I’ll be back in a few days! No need for all the tears,” Carmilla chuckled as Laura cried into the crook of her neck. Carmilla held her tiny girlfriend tightly while rubbing her back to calm her down. They stood in their shared dorm room like that for a few minutes until Laura’s breathing became erratic.

“It-It’s going to be to-too hard without you here,” Laura sobbed,” My m-mom is sick and she could, she could die and you’ll be gone.” Laura gripped Carmilla’s shirt tighter as if she will get pulled away forever if she let go.

“Laura, Baby hey look at me.” Carmilla pried Laura off of her and cupped her face. When hazel eyes met her own dark orbs, Carmilla instantly knew what to do to help her lover. She slowly lifted her own top and grabbed Laura’s hand bringing it to grip her hipbone. Carmilla took her other hand a slid it behind the nap of Laura’s hair feeling a thin layer of sweat forming beneath her hair. “Laura you’re having a panic attack. You’re okay, I won’t let go of you. Baby I need you to describe to me what my skin feels like.” Carmilla demanded while searching into hollow eyes. She could feel Laura’s body begin to shake as she slowly processed the task she was given.

“Y-your hip is sharp. You feel really cold.” Laura managed to say in between gasping for air. It was hard for Laura to think with the uneasy feeling of her limbs going numb.

“That’s it Laura, you’re doing great! What else?”

“Your hand behind m-my neck feels really good. You’re so cold.” Laura breathed while slowly closing her eyes.

“Laura no, eyes on me. Where are we? What am I wearing?” Carmilla knew that she had to bring Laura to the present in order for the panic attack to pass. She gently jerked Laura’s head to make her open her eyes. Laura’s eyes were becoming more whole the longer Carmilla continued to distract her.

“Um you’re wearing a black muscle shirt with the sides cut out. I-It says Nirvana on it. You’re wearing black shorts and we’re in our room at Silas.” Laura said while eyeing her shirt. Laura pulled her hand away from Carmilla’s hip and brought it back to the patch of skin visible though the side of her shirt. Laura began to feel goosebumps rise against Carmilla’s ribcage and a sharp intake of breath at the contact. Laura’s head was no longer buzzing with panic, instead an idea popped into her mind.

“Now I feel goosebumps and your skin feels warmer,” Laura whispered while sliding her hand deeper into Carmilla’s shirt and under the base of her breast. Carmilla’s eyes closed at the contact and Laura could feel the hand behind her neck pull at her hair.

“I’m supposed to be the one taking care of you Cupcake.” Carmilla uttered while losing herself to Laura’s ministrations.

“Then take care of me Carm,”Laura whispered while pulling Carmilla in placing a hungry kiss against the brunettes soft lips.

……

“No Perry I told you, I’m not going to be home this weekend. I’m surprising Carm at her Mother’s house.” Laura said while checking her makeup in the mini mirror she had in her purse. Unfortunately Carmilla had to go home for thanksgiving break and Laura couldn’t stand being away from her broody girlfriend for another moment. Laura decided she would be incredibly romantic and show up at her girlfriend’s door and say those three words she knew her lover has been waiting for her to say.

Laura was wearing Carmilla’s favorite dress that she had. The dress was navy blue and came up mid-thigh. It had mesh sleeves that went to her forearms and continued across her chest. She was a walking heart throb and she hoped that with the confidence she gained from looking attractive she would be able to profess her love to Carmilla. The cab driver brought her to the gate of the Karnstien Estate. Carmilla mentioned that her and her siblings were wealthy but Laura did not expect this level of wealth. The Karnstien Estate looked like it belonged in a fantasy world. The building had 3 layers full of balconies and giant stone pillars. It looked like it was built with the most expensive and beautiful types of stone. There was green moss growing alongside the mansion and giant bushes wrapping around the base. The light from the natural moonlight cast over the building giving it an eerie appearance.

Laura anxiously walked up to the big wooden door and summoned all her strength to knock. She heard some running followed by mumbling before the door opened to a panicked looking Matti with tears in her eyes.

“Laura?” Matti whispered while trying to close the door slightly so Laura couldn’t see inside. “Laura you cannot be here right now! This is not a good time to see Carmilla.” Matti furiously tried to wipe the tears streaking her face in attempt to try to put on the façade of intimidation to make Laura leave. Suddenly there was a loud crash behind the door into the mansion and Matti quickly grabbed Laura by the wrist pulling her into the house. Laura watched speechless as Matti locked the door and began to pull Laura up the winding staircase of the home.

“Keep quiet before she catches you!” Matti ordered Laura while gripping her wrist tighter. Laura nodded in compliance and took a second to look around the house. It looked like the house just got burgled. There was destroyed expensive paintings laying on the floor with broken glass and other debris. Papers everywhere, tables knocked over, as well as what appeared to be blood smeared on the walls. Panic began to radiate through Laura’s body as she followed Matti up the stairs. Matti pulled Laura through hallway after hallway until she barged through an old oak door. It was obviously Carmilla’s bedroom, with the dark grey painted walls and the black bedding on the unmade bed. The girls stepped on piles of dark clothing on the ground and headed in a beeline towards the closet. Matti let go of Laura’s bruising wrist and shoved her into the cluttered closet. “Hide here. Don’t make a sound.” Matti whispered before closing the door and running out of the room. Laura’s brain began to flood with questions. _What the hell is going on? Who is she hiding from? Why was the house a mess and why did Matti look so scared? Where’s Carmilla?_

Laura crouched down in the dark closet and hugged her knees to try and regulate her breathing. She didn’t feel safe in the closet but found comfort from the distinct smell of her girlfriend radiating from her lovers clothes inside the closet. Laura sat there crouched in Carmilla’s closet for what felt like hours even though it was probably only a few minutes. Her dress was creeping up causing her to feel slightly cold while hiding.

Abruptly Carmilla was pushed into her bedroom followed by her mother and a young girl. The girl was very attractive and wore upper class clothing. She had long blonde hair that reached down to the middle of her back that was tussled around as if she just woke up. Her Mother on the other hand was dressed in a black cocktail dress and black heels with her hair pulled back into a tight bun. Laura could see the expression on her face through the crack in the closet. Carmilla’s Mother was enraged and scowling at the pair in front of her.

“Mircalla Karnstien, who is this little whore of a girl and why did I find her slithering around my estate!?” Her Mother Barked while pushing Carmilla making her slam against her dresser and fall to the floor. Laura’s Heart stopped and she quickly slapped her hand against her mouth to silence her gasp. The young blonde tried to comment and answer the question but was interrupted by a swift slap across the face by the elder woman and dropped to the floor beside the other girl.

“You will speak when spoken to you wretched filth!” Mrs. Karnstien screamed. “Mircalla is this girl the girlfriend you have been babbling about for the past few months? Is that why I have seen her around the house sneaking into your bedroom late at night? You think I wouldn’t notice your little slut running around, eating my food, and dressing provocatively in MY presence?” The elder woman advanced towards the blonde again with her fist raised to beat the young girl when Carmilla jumped and covered the blonde with her own body.

“Mother NO! Yes she’s my girlfriend!!”Carmilla screamed while holding the blonde. Laura could see the blonde holding Carmilla tightly to herself while trembling. All the air left Laura’s lungs as she processed the heart breaking confession uttered by her lover. Tears began to burn behind Laura’s tightly closed eyelids overflowing down her flushed face. She brought her other hand up to cover her mouth, using both hands to choke back the whimpers and sobs impelling from her body as her world came crashing down. “I raised you better than this Mircalla!” Her mother vented while pounding down on Carmilla’s back and ribs. The room was filled with the thuds of flesh hitting flesh and the quiet cries of both girls on the floor.

“Mother please don’t hurt her!!! I-I love her!” Carmilla cried out between the blows of getting beaten. Carmilla’s brothers William and JP ran into the room and pried their mother off the helpless girls. JP dragged her out of the room while William helped Carmilla and the blonde up.

“Are you alright?” William asked, his voice trembling with fear that the girls were seriously hurt. Laura’s instincts kicked in telling her to run away from the horrific situation. Her brain kept repeating the words ‘I love her’ over and over again making Laura sick to her stomach. How could she be so stupid to think Carmilla loved her? That a woman with her reputation could ever be faithful in a committed relationship? Laura was nothing more than a joke and she needed to leave before she broke down in the closet. No, she would not give Carmilla the satisfaction of seeing her fall apart. Laura stood up and wiped the tears of heartbreak off her face with some article of clothing found in the bottom of Carmilla’s closet. She pushed her hair back out of her face and took a deep breath before exiting the closet and facing the siblings in the middle of the room. All eyes were on Laura as she walked out of the closet exposing the situation. William was holding the blonde as she cried in his arms and Carmilla was just staring at Laura with a horrified expression. Carmilla’s white shirt was stained with blood and covered in tares matching her swollen and bruised face. Carmilla took a step back from Laura as if she was more afraid of Laura than she was her own Mother who had just beaten her down almost to a pulp.

“Laura? What are you doing here?” Carmilla asked in disbelief while shaking her head. Laura glared at the brunette with bloodshot eyes and a broken expression across her face. She looked at the two siblings and the blonde who had her girlfriends love and quietly walked out of the room heading for the stairs. Laura could see Matti and JP restraining their mother in what could only be her own room so she ran down the stairs to avoid interacting with anyone. She began to hyperventilate and tears of agony where rushing down her face as she headed for the door and away from the tragedy.

“Laura wait! You don’t understand,” Carmilla tried to say while running after her ball of sunshine, but it was too late.

Laura opened the door and paused before uttering,” I hope loving her was worth it” and marching into the darkness of the streets without looking back.


	4. A Welcomed Distraction

“What are you thinking about?” Danny whispered into the side of Laura’s neck bringing her back to reality. Danny began to trail feather light kisses down Laura’s exposed neck causing Laura to close her eyes at the contact. This was a welcomed distraction from her own current thoughts, so Laura turned her head and kissed Danny not bothering to answer the question. Danny got the hint and swiftly picked Laura up bridal style from the dining room and walked her to their bedroom. Danny didn’t bother turning any lights on sense they never had sex with the lights on in the first place. She tossed Laura onto the bed and laid on top of her kissing down her neck. Laura could smell Danny’s musky body wash against her skin and the coolness of her wet hair on the side of her shoulder. Danny sat up and pulled off Laura’s blouse over her head and abruptly unsnapped her bra before pushing Laura back into the bed. Danny was never the type to tease or drag things out. She placed a fierce kiss against Laura’s lips, gasping when she felt Laura’s tongue sliding at the bottom of her lip asking for permission. It was denied as usual when Danny pulled back and slowly left wet kisses down Lauras neck. Laura closed her eyes and whimpered at her fiances ministrations. Closing her eyes became a very bad decision when suddenly her mind drifted back to Carmilla and how attractive she looked in her outfit today.

Laura thought about how Carmilla’s deep red lipstick made her already plump lips that much more kissable and how fantastic it would look to have that color smear across her body. She thought about how Carmilla’s maroon button up shirt opened up just enough to see her voluptuous breasts propped up by a black lacy bra. A deep moan protruded from Laura’s throat as Carm-Danny cupped Laura’s breasts and slowly trailed her tongue around her nipple. Danny was always gentle but all Laura could remember was how Carmilla would roughly knead her breasts before deeply sucking her nipples and pinching them between her teeth. Danny wrapped her mouth around Laura’s breast and Laura could feel hot air and a warm tongue swirling circles. Laura’s breathing became more erratic as Danny moved to the other breast to give the same treatment. Every movement Danny made reminded Laura of how Carmilla would treat her in the bedroom. Danny would kiss along the sensitive patches of skin under Laura’s breast, but Laura would just think about how Carmilla would nibble and pin Laura’s arms down demanding not to touch. Danny dragged her tongue down Laura’s toned stomach, but Carmilla would leave brusing hickeys down her abdomen painting a picture of their love for anyone to see.

Danny sat up and pulled Lauras pants down shortly followed by her soaked panties. Danny smirked at the level of arousal Laura was currently at, not knowing that Laura was no longer in the present. In her mind she was with Carmilla again and Laura was not prepared to admit how much that thought turned her on and caused her to drip down her thighs. Danny swiftly licked her way through Laura’s folds making the younger girl cry out in pleasure. Laura ran her hands through Danny’s hair imagining them to be Carmilla’s soft curls bringing the pressure closer to her core. She remembered how Carmilla would nibble and suck her thighs before using her sinful tongue to make Laura unhinge into her rawest state.

Carmilla would start off slowly dragging her tongue from the base of Laura’s entrance to the tip of her clit, swirling a few times before returning back down and repeating. Sometimes she would go at this agonizingly slow pace until Laura would crack and beg Carmilla to fuck her like she meant it. That’s when Carmilla would suck Laura’s clit into her mouth pinning it between her teeth and flicking her tongue up and down against the tip. At this point Laura would be chanting and moaning for all the world to hear as she would pull Carmilla’s hair as a reward.

Danny didn’t do any of that, instead she aggressively licked the tip of Laura’s clit and slowly inserted a finger into her clenching pussy. Laura was too far gone to oppose her fiance’s lazy technique, her brain was lost in delicious memories. Laura gasped at the contact of Danny’s finger and desperately wanted more. She wanted Carmilla slamming her fingers and curving them deep within Laura’s pulsating core while whispering explicit things her ear. She wanted Carmilla’s tongue in her mouth tasting herself while moaning at the animalistic side of her lover. Laura was getting closer to the edge but she needed Danny to give her more to tumble her over into oblivion.

“More, I need more. Please give me more baby,” Laura begged into the darkness of the room. She could almost feel Carmilla smirk against her thigh as Danny entered another finger. Laura crashed into her orgasm with only Carmilla’s name on her mind and began to tremble with every thrust Danny made to help her ride out the rest of her orgasm. Laura came down gasping for air still trembling from how hard she came from the thought of her ex fucking her.

“Wow babe I haven’t gotten you to come like that in years.” Danny chuckled while wiping her mouth and getting up from the bed. She walked over and kissed Laura’s sweaty forehead before walking to the bedroom door. “You left dinner in the microwave right?”

“Yeah,” Laura answered still trying to regulate her breath. She was appalled with herself that she just imagined another woman while her fiancé made love to her. Laura got up and walked into the bathroom on horribly shaky legs to glare at herself in the mirror. What the hell was that?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ehem, is it warm in here or is it just me? No shame in my smut game, I'm a big ol' pervy gay what do you expect?


	5. I see through your game.

After the last class of the day before Thanksgiving break, Laura decided to get a head start on next quarters curriculum. She went back to the café down the road from the school and got herself a hot chocolate before heading back upstairs to her favorite seat. Laura took off her brown H&M trench coat and hung it off the back of her chair before sitting down and looking out the window. The ground was dirty with wet leaves and all the people wore warm coats with their scarves flying in the wind. The café was near City Park, so Laura could see the parks leaves changing colors and hundreds of runners jogging down the trail. The colors of burgundy, brown, and orange found on the leaves reminded Laura of Carmilla’s eyes when the brilliant sun captured the colors more vibrantly. Fall always brought Laura back to visions of Carmilla, making the petite teacher hate the holidays more so than she already did. Fortunately enough Laura has not had any more run ins with the ridiculously attractive business owner, but Laura did break and pick up an issue of New York Magazine that had a picture of the brunette on the cover.

Laura read it between classes in fear Danny would overreact if she was found reading about her college love. The magazine filled in the gaps of Carmilla’s life within the past 6 years for Laura. She read how Carmilla inherited the company at the age of 25 after her mother died at the age of 56. There was a picture of Carmilla’s mother in the magazine as well as a brief blurb about how the woman started up a multi-million dollar company from the ground up. Laura chose to skip that page avoiding the feelings that arose when seeing the woman’s face who destroyed everything. Laura read how Carmilla flipped the company around and invested hundreds of thousands of dollars in purchasing smaller companies all around the world. The magazine informed it’s readers the statistics of how the purchases improved the company as well as the city’s economy. Flourishing businesses created more jobs in order to expand their reach, which caused unemployment to go down thus cleaning the streets of homeless civilians. People were able to purchase homes and overall improve the city’s quality of living. Laura was very impressed over Carmilla’s achievements in the short amount of time she had been in control of the company, but couldn’t help but be jealous of them as well.

Just then a coffee shop employee walked up to Laura’s table holding another paper cup and set it down on the table. Laura turned her head away from the window and looked at the small blonde wearing a brown cap and apron with a confused expression on her face. “This was bought for you,” The girl said gesturing towards the cup. “They also wanted me to tell you that you look beautiful today.” The young girl’s face turned a light shade of red after repeating the compliment. She clasped her hands together and spun on the heels of her shoes before quickly scurrying away. Laura stared at the steaming cup placed politely at the corner of her table and slowly reached for it to see the name on the receipt. Laura’s phone suddenly buzzed in her coat pocket making Laura jerk her hand back to reach for her pocket to silence the interruption. The caller I.D. told Laura that Danny was calling her, so Laura answered the call.

“Hey Babe, what’s up?” Laura asked while staring at the cup again.

“Laura, I hate to have to tell you this over the phone but I have a potential client over in L.A. that is a very known icon. This would be incredible for my career, so I’m going to fly over there tonight after work and get a hotel in the city. Ill probably be gone for a few weeks in order to rope the client for the company. I know its short notice, but I wanted to keep you informed. I know we haven’t seen each other much sense last Sunday but this super important.” Danny said in rushed tones clearly wanting this phone call to be a short one. “Yeah okay, just give me the hotels information in case I have to reach you please.” Laura responded reaching for the cup again and spinning it around. The name typed in the drink information was C.K. in bold letters. Laura’s breathing stopped as she looked up and glanced all around the room for the buyer of the beverage. Laura was quickly annoyed with the distraction of Danny’s voice on the other side of the line, making it hard to focus. As if being pulled by a magnet Laura’s hazel doe eyes crashed into a pair of dark solid orbs. Laura let out a shaky breath as she watched Carmilla slowly turn away breaking eye contact and head out towards the exit of the coffee shop.

“Danny, I’ll call you back.” Laura breathed out while quickly hanging up her phone and grabbing her coat and bag. She stared at the untouched cup sitting on the table and reached for it. A surge of courage filled Laura through the warmth of the sweet treat. She ran after the brunette down the stairs and out the door into the city, hoping it wasn’t too late to finally get some answers.

Once outside Laura scanned the crowds of people rushing by to get to their next location with urgency. Laura ignored the sudden shiver caused by the crisp autumn air rushing through her unfastened coat. Her eyes froze as she caught site of wavy brown hair and a black coat walking away towards the park adjacent to the café. With a mind of their own Laura’s legs followed after the stranger into the winding paths of the park. Laura’s eyes were glued to the woman, searching for any sort of indication that she was following the right person and not just a look-a-like. The sway of the stranger’s hips and the way she pushed her hair out of her face by running her fingers through her hair confirmed Laura was following the right person. Anger overwhelmed Laura as she began to go over all the things she wanted to say to the woman. With every step she gained closer to the brunette, Laura’s emotions would flare up making her heart pound in her chest. Laura was only a few feet away from the girl when the woman came to a swift halt in the middle of the path. Laura’s eyes went wide as she watched the woman turn around face her counterpart. Laura stumbled to a stop when her eyes connected with Carmilla’s, stealing away any previous arguments swimming in her mind. Quickly Laura became self-conscious and could feel herself beginning to sweat under the intense gaze of Carmilla.

“Well look who finally grew balls.” Carmilla said in a sarcastic undertone. As if on cue she raised an eyebrow at the baffled teacher looking back at her. Laura noticed how Carmilla’s hand subtly shook as she ran her hands through her hair pushing her windblown hair out of her gorgeous face. Carmilla’s other hand was tucked away in the pocket of her black pea coat conveniently holding her briefcase behind her. Laura tried to ignore the feelings of home that occurred when hearing that sultry voice after all these years.

“Why do you keep buying me drinks?” Laura asked remembering why she was here in the first place. She cursed herself for sounding like a child instead of the incredibly pissed off woman that she was. She took note at how Carmilla’s face hardened as her eyes caught notice of the ring on her left hand which was currently holding said drink. Carmilla took a sharp intake of breath and raised her head higher radiating confidence. She took a step closer to where Laura planted herself connecting their eyes once again before she spoke.

“Can’t a woman buy a warm delicious treat for someone she knew long ago?” Carmilla asked taking another step closer to the frozen woman. Laura could hear a slight vulnerable tone in the way Carmilla asked the question. Her brown eyes searching her own as she advanced closer, looking for a sign indicating Laura would run away and disappear. Carmilla was now close enough for Laura’s lungs to fill up with the familiar smell illuminating from the brunette and catching in the wind. As irritating as it was to admit, Laura visibly relaxed at the welcoming smell of her ex-lover. Carmilla smelled of coconut shampoo, an oak like musk, and something sweet. It reminded Laura of how the earth would smell after a heavy spring rain in the afternoon.

“Carmilla, what do you want?” Laura barked, surprised at her own bluntness. Carmilla’s eyebrows furrowed as she continued to search Laura’s eyes. Laura was beginning to feel uncomfortable with the unwavering amount of eye contact. Laura forced herself not to squirm from the proximity of the two women as she waited for Carmilla’s answer. She watched as countless pedestrians glared at the two women who interrupted the flow of the path forcing people to go around. Laura was slightly irritated that the world could continue to move around them as both their worlds came to a halt in each other’s presence.

“You’re different.” Carmilla stated before closing her eyes and looking away to their surroundings.” You’ve probably spent your time conjuring up reasons to hate me over the years, but know that I am not the person you perceive me to be. I never was.” Carmilla glanced back into Laura’s eyes before stepping back and turning around. Laura watched Carmilla shake her head and walk away from her hearing Carmilla’s faint voice mutter to herself.

“Such a shame.”

Laura’s mind flooded with counter attacks to say to the woman as she watched her walk away from her. She regretted not saying how she truly felt about the brunette acting all chummy after the incredible heart break she caused. She should be avoiding Laura like any other ex would do, not blatantly flirt with her as if she still had some sort of hold over Laura’s heart. Laura was pleased with the way Carmilla frowned when she noticed the ring on her left hand. She wanted Carmilla to know that her world didn’t stop moving when she cheated on her. No, instead she fell in love with a woman who was everything she ever wanted. Laura moved on to something better and she needed Carmilla to know that.


	6. The Business Plan

Laura walked up the stairs to the 3rd floor where her and Danny’s apartment was, trying her best to forget about the confrontation she had in the park. Laura’s phone began to buzz in her pocket as she opened the door to the dark apartment. She flicked on the light switch and sighed about the mess Danny seemed to leave for her before she left for L.A. Laura reached into her pocket noticing Perry was the one calling her.

“Hey Perry.” Laura said trying her best to seem perky so Perry would worry. Laura shut the door and began to take her shoes off by the door.

“Laura, something terrible has happened. Wilson and I are on our way over to talk to you. Do you still have that bottle of wine that he gave you for your birthday?” Perry hurriedly asked. There was muffling on the other end of the phone and Laura could sense the panic in Perry’s demeanor. This was something serious and Laura knew this wasn’t the time to ask questions.

“Uh yeah it’s in the kitchen. I’m just going to tidy up and take a shower. Feel free to let yourselves in, Ill leave the door unlocked.” Laura sighed while pushing the hair away from her face and rubbing her temples. Today was quickly becoming a terribly stressful day.

Perry hung up shortly after telling Laura they would be over in 20 minutes, giving Laura plenty of time to finish up her chores. Laura walked into the bathroom connected to the master bedroom and caught sight of the tired expression on her face. What did Carmilla meant when she said she looked different? Sure, anyone could see that Laura grew out of her innocent appearance and looked more womanly and mature. That wasn’t necessarily a bad thing though; it was just a part of growing up. Laura got closer to the mirror and tried to see what Carmilla was talking about. Laura noticed the way her forehead naturally wrinkled due to the way she furrowed her eyebrows together. She could see the bags under her eyes that all adults somehow obtained while growing up. An always present expression seemed like a sick rite of passage into adulthood these days. Sighing Laura tore her eyes away from her own reflection and began to take off her clothes so she could shower. She didn’t want Perry and Kirsch to spend a lot of time alone when something serious was obviously going on right now. Once naked, Laura turned on the shower and adjusted the temperature until it was sufficiently warm enough to wash away the stress of the day. She let the shower head massage her tense muscles and relax her before she started her routine of shampooing and conditioning her long hair.

A few minutes later Laura walked down the hallway to the kitchen hearing that her company had arrived. She entered the room seeing a nervous Perry pouring wine while a sad looking Kirsch slumped over the counter. The atmosphere of the room was intense and it put Laura immediately on edge.

“Hey guys, what’s going on?” Laura softly questioned causing Kirsch to lift his head up and look at Laura. Perry turned around and took a long pull from her wine and leaned against the counter.

“Wilson honey why don’t you explain your news first and then I’ll tell Laura about mine.” Perry offered while gesturing Laura to sit down at the barstool next to Kirsch. Kirsch sighed dramatically and looked at the floor to avoid Laura’s questioning eyes.

“Okay well, you know how I’ve been telling you guys about how Betty has been distant lately?” Kirsch began to explain making Laura nod in response. Kirsch and Betty started to date in college and got married shortly after they graduated. Now they owned a beautiful house due to both of their sizely incomes. Kirsch was a sportscaster for the news and radio, and with Betty being Perry’s business partner he was around a lot and became good friends with Laura and Perry. He mentioned a few months back that his marriage wasn’t going the best currently and wanted to pick the girls brains for ways to improve it.

“Well she told me a few days back that she wanted a divorce. Something about how she didn’t want to be complacent and that she needed to be with someone who would challenge her more. I tried to convince her to stay and that we should try and start a family sense we were in a good place financially but she didn’t want to hear it.” Kirsch said with a defeated tone. Laura’s heart went out to her distressed friend. It broke her heart to see her friend so heartbroken but she knew Kirsch would bounce back from this. He was way too good for Betty anyway. Laura reached out and placed a hand on Kirsch’s forearm trying to bring comfort to the man.

“Kirsch, I’m so sorry you have to go through this.” Laura said with a shaky voice and frown on her face. He sat up and rubbed his face aggressively messing up his hair in the process.

“I didn’t want to tell you guys until I knew it couldn’t be fixed. She left. She packed up all her things and left while I was at work today.” Kirsch sighed. Laura glanced at Perry who had finished her wine and was pouring herself a refill. She grabbed a shot glass and took a bottle of whisky from Laura’s cabinet and silently placed it in front of Kirsch. He welcomed the gesture by immediately pouring a shot and downing it with a blank expression.

“Yes well Betty informed me today that she is backing out of the business and will no longer be my partner.” Perry stated signaling that it was her turn to share. Laura’s mouth fell open and she couldn’t believe what she was hearing. Betty and Perry where fantastic business partners and the business was doing great.

“What does that mean for you?” Laura asked full of worry. Her day was nothing compared to her friends, she could understand why they both seemed to need a drink and to vent.

“Well by her leaving I no longer have the qualifications to run the business. The permits and accounts were under her name. Unless I can find a new partner to take over the financing who also has the proper authority, I will have to claim bankruptcy and shut down the business. That means all my employees will have to find different jobs and I will be forced to sell my house and down grade to something smaller that I can afford.” Perry tried to explain with an even voice. Laura could hear that Perry was trying not to cry with the knowledge that everything she ever worked for was crumbling down in front of her. Kirsch poured another shot and downed it while Perry took another sip of wine. The room became quiet as everyone tried to process the information shared. Laura looked down to her hands and searched her brain for anything that could be remotely helpful for her friends. Danny would have been disappointed in her for trying to take on her friends problems. She always tried to remind Laura that she was only one person who couldn’t really make a difference so she shouldn’t stress about things she couldn’t control. Laura knew she didn’t mean it in a condescending kind of way; she only worried about Laura’s mental health is all. Suddenly Laura remembered something that had a potential to help Perry.

“Hey Perr, have you thought about trying to pitch your business plan to C.K. Enterprises? Maybe you could convince them to invest in your business? I read in New York Magazine that they buy out small businesses and finance them to help them grow. That’s kinda like having a partner right? I know you’d basically have to sell your business but it will be better than closing down right?” Laura offered to her friend. Sure she hated the fact that C.K. Enterprises was owned by her ex-girlfriend, but it was their best shot and keeping Perry’s business and house.


	7. Second Guessing the Facts

Laura checked her hair and make-up as the taxi drove her to the address given. The plan was to pitch the idea that Carmilla buy Perry’s business so that her friend didn’t have end up going bankrupt and lose everything, including her house. Laura asked Perry a bunch of questions about the growing business, collecting client information, payroll, stock numbers, and anything else Laura could think of that would help her sell the pitch. She was a little nervous about facing her unbelievably intimidating ex, but she figured if she stuck to the script in her head she wouldn’t make a fool out of herself. The taxi pulled up next to the “Karnstien Tower,” that’s what the tabloids were calling it.

Laura quickly paid the driver and gave him a generous tip before double checking that she her folder with all the information. It was a little after 6pm and Laura desperately hoped the CEO was still in her office and that this wasn’t a wasted trip. Laura walked into the giant building and walked up the receptionist.

“Hello, could you tell me which floor Carmilla Karnstien is on?” Laura asked trying to sound polite and not as nervous as she really was. The receptionist was a young man who wore a headset and had his eyes glued to the computer screen. Laura was about to repeat herself thinking the man didn’t hear her or was ignoring her but was interrupted by the man.

“16th floor.” He said with a bored voice not even bothering to look up at the woman he was helping.

“Ooookay” Laura said while walking away towards the elevators. She pushed the button for the correct floor and began to give herself a pep talk. She wiped her sweaty palms on her pants and gripped the folder tightly.

…………..

All that filled the silence of the unstaffed building was the exquisite clicking of Laura’s heels and the frantic typing of computer keys. Laura’s heart was pounding in her ears as she approached the desk of the secretary, she briefly wondered if the woman at the desk could hear it too. The dark green name plate informed Laura that the woman at the desks name was Sarah Jane and she was the head admin assistant of the company.

“I’m sorry Miss but it is after business hours, I’m going to have to ask you to come back tomorrow. May I please have your name and information so that we may better assist you?” The woman asked after she stopped typing and glanced up to look over Laura. Laura couldn’t help but notice how naturally beautiful the secretary was when she gave you her undivided attention. The woman had dark red hair that was pulled back into a loose bun with strays of hair poking out at the base of her hair line. Her skin was sun kissed and the features of her face were soft and round. Her smile was brilliant and bright, radiating a genuine warmth.

“Laura Hollis, I’m an um a f-friend of-“Laura tried to explain but was immediately cut off by a familiar voice coming from the room behind the secretary.

“Let her in SJ. Close the door after she enters please.” Carmilla demanded from the other room, taking all the air from Laura’s lungs in the process. The secretary swiftly stood up and smiled at the other woman who stood there like a statue in front of her desk. Sarah Jane walked over to the woman and instantly Laura became jealous about the swing of her hips. Carmilla undoubtedly noticed the benefit of the way her employee could gyrate her hips.

“Ready?” Sarah Jane whispered taking Laura’s arm and guiding her towards the office of her ex-lover. Laura entered the room taking note of her surroundings. The office was very spacious, filled with warm hues that complimented the rustic looking wood work framing the room. The office was filled with fully stocked bookshelves and filing cabinets. The walls were colored a brilliant shade of maroon and had strategically placed photos placed against it. The room smelled earthy and warm, like watching a blizzard outside while being safely tucked away near a fire. The room no doubt smelled that way because Carmilla left the windows of her office slightly open for the aesthetic. Outside a storm beginning to reign down and demand to be heard. The office was overwhelmingly Carmilla, and Laura tried to ignore the previously dormant feelings stirring to life in her chest. The door closed in the office leaving the two women alone with an awkward silence in the air. Carmilla sat at her desk and aggressively typed at her laptop.

Like the admin assistant Carmilla too had her hair tied back in a messy bun with strands framing her perfectly porcelain skin. The CEO had on a pair of dark brimmed glasses slowly slipping down the brunette’s nose as she scowled at the screen. Her jaw flexed and her eyes squinted as she concentrated on the task before her. Laura could hear the faint lullaby of jazz music playing in the room and couldn’t help but smile at herself. Some things never change and Carmilla sure was a creature of habit. Carmilla leaned back in her chair sighing loudly and pulling her glasses off her face to rub her eyes. As Carmilla leaned back to stretch Laura drank in the view in front of her. Carmilla was wearing a white dress shirt, slightly opened showing off her cleavage. Laura’s mouth began to salivate as she blatantly stared and recalled the tricks her mind played some nights ago. A chuckle brought Laura back to reality as her eyes shot up to see Carmilla looking at her. Laura could feel her cheeks flush up knowing that her ex-girlfriend clearly saw her checking her out like a horny teenage boy. Laura began to think this whole situation was a very bad idea and scolded herself for ever thinking this would be a good situation to invite herself into. The last thing she wanted to do was give her ex any kind of indication that they were on good terms and that flirting was welcomed. Yes Laura Hollis held grudges, knowing how unhealthy it may be.

“Miss Hollis, what can I do for you?” Carmilla asked in a velvety voice. Carmilla gestured for Laura to sit down across from her in the cushioned chair beside the desk. The interaction between the pair was polar opposite to the one they exchanged a few days back. The initial shock of seeing each other dissipating into a fog of questions daring to be asked. Carmilla sat there patiently waiting for Laura to confess the meaning behind her unexpected visit. Laura tentatively sat down in the chair provided never breaking Carmilla’s unwavering eye contact. She clutched her folder to her chest and tucked a stray hair behind her ear, capturing Carmilla’s gaze for a split second.

“I’m here to discuss the financial gain you’d obtain if you invested Perry’s cleaning business.” Laura stated reciting the speech she planned a few nights prior. A quick flash of an unknown emotion appeared through Carmilla’s dark brown eyes as she intently listened to the young woman across from her. Laura gingerly handed over her purple folder across the desk, providing the business woman of all the information she would need to make her judgement call. Carmilla reached forward to grab the folder being offered causing her shirt to open up further around her collar. Laura’s eyes instantly fell down to the new amount of flesh unwrapping itself before her. Carmilla smirked and took note of the way Laura ran her tongue between her lips as her eyes shamelessly sought out their desires.

“Is that so?” Carmilla questioned seemingly unimpressed by the pitch. She peered through the contents of the folder quickly crunching numbers in her head. Laura fought the urge to squirm, to appear unaffected and confident for her pitch. She thought over every possible question about the business and with every question came a perfectly executed answer as to why investing was the intelligent choice. A low hum signified Carmilla finished reading over the papers.

“Is this investment important to you Cupcake?” Carmilla asked while standing up and gliding over to the side of the room where the fully stocked bar was located. Carmilla busied herself with making a whiskey straight and regretted her slip up. The term of endearment left a bitter taste in Laura’s mouth as she searched for the right words to say. Laura was quickly becoming aggravated with Carmilla’s demeanor. The consequences of Carmilla’s actions in the past left it to where she had no right knowing Laura’s heart anymore.

“I don’t understand why that is relevant, but yes I do believe in doing the right thing for someone in need. Unlike some people.” Laura snapped surprising herself with her own tone. She closed her eyes gently and focused on her breathing to avoid her anger to bubble over and escalate the situation further. She was there to pitch her best friend’s business and improve both of the women’s finances, not get into a heated argument over the past. Laura opened her eyes just as Carmilla was turning away from the bar to face her. With a bored expression on her face, Carmilla took a long swig from her glass before leaning back against the bar. The expression on the brunette’s face was doing nothing to sooth the rage growing throughout Laura’s chest. Laura could feel a flush of heat pulsing through her face and flooding her ears with blood and anger.

“If you have something to say to me Laura, be brave enough to actually say it.” Carmilla sighed. Carmilla crossed her arms causing the ice to clink against the glass in her drink. “You know after I saw you in the Café a few weeks ago I left thinking ‘That can’t be Laura. Laura radiated warmth and happiness with her always present smile. She would have observed every person individually around her, conjuring up ideas to improve their day. ‘I watched you for 15 minutes waiting for that brilliant Hollis smile to figure out if it was you or not. It never appeared, and I was incredibly disappointed to find out that the girl I loved was nothing more than a shell of the person she used to be.”

Laura abruptly stood up from the chair and shook her head in disbelief at the heavy accusation that was thrown at her. The rage consuming her made her feel ungodly hot under her blouse and skirt.

“You don’t get to say things like that to me! Not after what you did.” Laura snapped, hands forming into fists beside her in effort to show her anger.

“After what I did.” Carmilla repeated while raising a perfectly sculpted eyebrow. It wasn’t mean to sound like a question, but a statement to make the blonde explain her meaning.

“Yes! After you cheated on me and broke my heart?!Did you forget that happened? You know I went over to your mother’s house that night to surprise you and tell you that I loved you. Instead I was surprised with the fact that the girl I loved was cheating on me for god knows how long and didn’t even bother telling me her mother was abusive. Way to make me feel like a joke Carm.” Laura chuckled dryly. The nickname wasn’t meant to be a term of an endearment; she meant it as an insult. The intentions of selling her best friends business no longer on her mind. All Laura wanted now was long overdue answers.

“I never cheated on you Laura.” Carmilla began to say in a very calm voice. Her calm demeanor only fueled Laura’s rage as she seethed across from the woman. “ I’m not going to give you the specifics but my mother was sick at the time of your visit. The girl you accuse me of dating was not mine, she was William’s girlfriend. You see William was 15 at the time and Ell was 18, so they had to keep their relationship a secret from mother. Politics of young love is all.”

Laura just glared at Carmilla. She wasn’t sure if she should trust the woman or if this was just some elaborate way to get rid of the guilt of cheating and ruining everything.

“You know I actually came back after Thanksgiving break looking for you. I heard you were at some stupid Zeta party so I showed up preparing to put my heart on the line for you. You know what I found? My drunken girlfriend cozying up to the ginger giant who was placing sloppy kisses all over her neck. The same giant who my girlfriend told me countless times was not attractive to her. ‘We’re just friends Carmilla’ I bet she’s the one who gave you that gaudy rock on your finger.” Carmilla mocked while walking back towards her desk sipping her drink again. Laura looked down at her ring then quickly hid it behind her back.

“What do you care?” Laura retaliated sounding more like a child than she cared for. Carmilla took off her glasses and rubbed her eyes again sighing loudly. She sat down and placed her glasses back on her face looking up at the blonde who was still standing in the middle of her office.

“I don’t. But I distinctly remember you telling me on more than one occasion that you didn’t want a ring that looked as ugly as that. You wanted a ring like your mother’s.” She stated tiredly. Laura’s eyes went wide and her heart swelled after realizing Carmilla remembered that fact. Laura stood there looking at Carmilla, searching her eyes for any indication that she was lying. She couldn’t process this new information; not under the gaze of those dark brown eyes. Silence gathered in the room again as the two woman looked at each other.

“Look, I don’t care if you believe me or not. Go ahead and continue to think I’m some monster, but you’re only doing that because you can’t handle the fact that you were wrong. You can tell Perry that I will be in touch with her to ask some questions about her company. She was always kind to me and I will do what I can to return the favor. You can let yourself out now.” Carmilla demanded while turning back to her computer and typing away.

Laura quickly turned away and ran out the door. She needed fresh air and a big box of cookies in order to fully understand what just happened. All that mattered was that she accomplished her task of pitching the idea. Maybe Laura was wrong about Carmilla, after all she did confirm that she would try to help Perry. That meant something right?


	8. Instincts

The next few days Laura obsessed over her conversation with Carmilla. She was aggressively cleaning her apartment, scrubbing the floor on her hands and knees when she realized the unfortunate truth. Carmilla didn’t walk away from their relationship, She did. She broke her own heart as well as the other by never giving Carmilla a chance to explain. Laura felt sick to her stomach. She had no one to blame for her behavior afterwards but herself. She couldn’t handle the thick cloud of guilt that overwhelmed her as she shivered against the floor. She needed to know for sure if Carmilla was telling the truth or not. Laura jumped up from the floor leaving the cleaning products behind as she ran to her computer and logged on.

She opened up the internet browser and googled the only person who could confirm Carmilla’s story. She looked up Carmilla’s younger brother William Luce to discover he was the owner of a prestigious club downtown. Without hesitation Laura ran into her room to put on an appropriate outfit before heading out to her destination.

The cab ride took forever and didn’t help Laura’s growing anxiety about the situation. She threw money at the driver and got out of the cab as soon as she arrived to the club. Laura got in line and watched the bouncer deny countless people before finally allowing her to enter. She may have flirted with the bouncer and unbuttoned her top a bit to guarantee she would make it in.

Once inside the club she realized that this was not an ordinary club downtown. William owned a club that looked to be a cross between a strip club and a dance club. There was dancers everywhere; there were dancers on the stage as well as dancers giving lap dances to paid customers. Laura could see rooms in the back that were no doubt used for private dances, among other things. Laura worried her bottom lip as she scanned the crowds looking for a familiar man.

She caught sight of William talking to a group of woman near the bar by the lounge. Laura made a beeline towards the man and prepared herself for what was in store.

“Will.” Laura stated tapping the man’s shoulder in attempt to get his attention. William turned around with a shocked expression after realizing who was demanding his attention.

“Laura? Wow. Carmilla wasn’t kidding, you look fantastic.” William cooed. Laura was pleasantly surprised that Will had remembered her name after all this time. She could feel herself blush at the attention the man was giving her. William defiantly aged well just like his older sister had. He had a slender build and wore a tight blue button up to show off his muscles.

“Yeah about that. Carmilla told me somethings and I need you to tell me if they’re true or not.” Laura said as serious as she could. She hoped William could hear her over the loud music and laughter around them. As if he could read her mind, William placed a gentle hand behind Laura’s elbow and guided her towards the back of the bar for more privacy. He brought Laura to a secluded chair and sat down, patting the spot next to him for Laura to sit.

“Look I don’t know what Carmilla told you but I do know that you got it wrong when you broke up with her. You see our Mother was diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder a year before you met her. Mother was fully functional when she took her medicine, but when she didn’t things got very bad very quick. It was tough growing up to say the least.” William explained. Laura could see the pained expression that crossed his face when mentioning his childhood.

“Anyways, my Freshman year I fell in love with a girl who was unfortunately at the time a Senior. Carmilla caught us fooling around once and I made her promise not to tell anyone. That was the same year that mother secretly stopped taking her medicine causing her to lash out a lot. That night that you surprised us by hiding in that closet, was a complete misunderstanding. Carmilla was only trying to protect the girl that I loved by deceiving Mother claiming Ell was her girlfriend.” Will confessed while looking up to meet Laura’s questioning eyes. She nodded as she tried to register what she was being told.

“So Carmilla was telling the truth then. I was the one who messed everything up, not her.” Laura stated blankly staring into the crowed. William reached out and grasped Laura’s hand begging her to look at him.

“Ell and I are now engaged. You know Laura, over the years I never saw my sister get close to anyone the way she did with you.” William squeezed Laura’s hand before letting go and standing up.

“Your drinks for the night will be on the house. Ill inform my bartenders. And Laura, if you still care about my sister you should tell her. She needs good news right now.” William said before nodding his head and parting ways with a confused Laura.

“I need a drink.” Laura said to herself and she headed to the bar.

…….

A few shots later Laura scanned the crowed feeling the effects of the alcohol. Her eyes fell upon familiar dark hair and pale skin. It couldn’t be the alcohol playing ticks on her because she only had 3 shots. That was defiantly Carmilla in front of her wearing sinful looking leather pants and a white partially see through crop top that showed off her impressive breasts and hip bones.

As if Carmilla could sense eyes on her, she glanced up and collided her eyes with Laura’s. Laura felt a spark rush down her spine under the gaze of the brunette. Laura threw all caution to the wind and began to give into her instincts as she walked over to the dance floor making sure Carmilla was still watching her. Carmilla’s eyes were glued to Laura as curiosity overtook her features. Laura threw her hair back and began to sway her hips to the beat of the music playing, never breaking eye contact with Carmilla. It became very apparent what her intentions were in the situation as Carmilla watched her dance gripping her drink tightly.

Laura began to tug at her own shirt lifting it up slightly so the CEO could see her abs flex as she swayed to the music. Laura smirked as she noticed the way Carmilla’s mouth parted and the way she rose her head to watch Laura through heavy lashes. Going for the kill shot Laura spun around and propped her ass out and began bouncing to the rhythm of the music. If there was one thing Laura knew, it was that yoga did amazing things to your butt.

It didn’t take long before Laura was abruptly spun around and pressed up to a dark image of Carmilla. Carmilla aggressively held Laura’s hips as she leaned into her bringing her mouth closer to Laura’s ear. Laura was overwhelmed with everything that was Carmilla. The feel of their bodies flush against each other, how her hands gripped to her white blouse as Carmilla held her hips in place, and smell of their sweat mixing together. Laura could feel the vibration of the bass through their bodies creating a thick fog to cloud her mind.

“What do you think you’re doing.” Carmilla growled. The sound of Carmilla’s intense voice sparked a flood of pressure to swarm to Laura’s core. Laura couldn’t help but whimper and grip tighter to Carmilla’s shirt as she searched for the right words to say. She was too far gone with the electricity from touching her body to Carmilla's to form coherent thoughts.

“I need to talk to you.” Laura stated bringing her face closer to Carmilla’s ear. The warmth and smell of Carmilla was enveloping Laura’s senses and she fought the urge to bite and suck the pulse point that was intoxicatingly close to her lips. Abruptly Carmilla pulled back from Laura and grabbed her had to drag her towards the back of the club. Carmilla didn’t even bother explaining to the bouncer the situation; she just took a room key and walked passed the beefy man. Laura was pushed into the room as Carmilla slammed the door closed and locked it. Without a word she stalked over to the mini bar in the room and took out two clear bottles.

“Talk.” Carmilla demanded while throwing a clear bottle Laura’s way. Laura caught it and noticed it was a mini bottle everclear. Carmilla opened her own bottle and tossed it back before getting herself settled on the black sofa on the far side of the room. She sat with her arms fanned out on both sides resting against the back of the sofa and her legs slightly apart. With her arms opened and back, the shirt she was wearing rode up a significant amount making Laura’s mouth to part. Laura could see the familiar freckles sprinkled across her pale and slender abdomen which was previously covered by the offending shirt. Buying some time, Laura busied herself by opening her mini bottle and drinking half of it. She could feel the unpleasant burn from the vodka hit her in the back of her throat. Wincing she closed the bottle and tossed it back to Carmilla and walked over to the mini bar looking for something a bit easier. Triumphantly Laura found some tequila and down the shot before turning back to a patient Carmilla.

“I talked to Will. He confirmed you weren’t lying.” Laura started to say. She fidgeted with her hands nervously and was grateful she decided to take of Danny’s ring before heading to the club.

“Were you surprised?” Carmilla asked coldly trying to hide any emotion on the subject. She watched Laura mess with her hands and raised an eyebrow when she noticed she wasn’t wearing the ring anymore.

“You ruined me.” Laura confessed, ignoring the question. She looked up to lock eyes with Carmilla, watching as the woman locked she jaw in response. Laura could see Carmilla become defensive in her demeanor. Laura made the decision to tell the whole truth of the situation then and there.

“Do you know how long it took me to stop imagining I was with you when I would hook up with anyone?” Laura asked. Carmilla’s eyes flashed with something as she watched Laura take a step closer to the sofa. “Every time someone touched me I desperately tried to convince myself it was you Carm.” Laura watched as Carmilla gripped the back of the sofa with white knuckles. It was clear to her that she wasn’t expecting Laura to say that. Carmilla was a very possessive lover and Laura knew that. The atmosphere of the room became heavy and Laura continued to walk towards Carmilla. Once Laura reached the sofa she took a chance and straddled Carmilla’s lap before continuing her confession.

Carmilla gasped and froze as Laura adjusted herself on top of her. She didn’t dare move her hands from behind the sofa, worried it would break the enchantment of Laura. Laura pressed into Carmilla moving her hands to the girls waist and bringing her lips to her ear.

“It took forever to stop wishing it was your fingers inside of me. To stop calling your name when I came-if I came.” She whispered taking note of Carmilla’s shallow breaths. She knew the brunette couldn’t hold back forever so she took a deep breath and pulled back to look into Carmilla’s eyes.

“That sounds awful.” Carmilla said while gazing into Laura’s hazel eyes. Her voice was deep and husky, indicating how Laura’s words were effecting her.

“No,” Laura said breathlessly while shaking her head. “What’s awful is how wet I got when I saw you for the first time at the coffee shop. It was my body’s natural response to seeing you again Carm. What’s worse is that when Danny touched me that night, my body demanded it was you. I imagined it was you, and you know what? I came harder thinking it was you than I ever did with her.” Carmilla’s eyes darkened as she swiftly gripped Laura’s neck with one hand and her ass with the other. A filthy moan escaped Laura’s lips at the feeling of Carmilla’s hand squeezing her ass.

She closed her eyes and felt her body grind into Carmilla’s lap seeking the friction it demanded. Carmilla sucked in the breath from Laura’s lungs as the girl ground her hips into her own sparking a fire in her belly. She pulled Laura’s hair tightly forcing Laura to open her eyes and focus on her. Laura’s cheeks were flushed and her hair flowed slightly into her face from being tussled by dancing.

“Say it again.” Carmilla asked looking at Laura’s plump lips. She removed her hand from behind Laura’s neck in favor of her hips pushing the girl harder into her own. Laura knew this was Carmilla’s way of asking for permission before allowing herself to fall into the wants of their bodies.

“No one fucks me as good as you Baby.” Laura cried pulling Carmilla into a demanding kiss. Laura almost cried over the feelings that came to life as their lips touched for the first time. She whimpered into Carmilla’s mouth as she felt Carmilla suck her bottom lip between her teeth. Heat flamed into her skin upon feeling a wet tongue slid against Laura’s lip making the girl burry her hands in soft brown locks. Carmilla tasted like vodka and home. The feelings overwhelmed Laura making her hunger insatiable.

“Touch me.” Laura begged pulling away from the kiss. She could hear Carmilla’s breathless moan and she trailed kisses down Laura’s neck unbuttoning her shirt. Warm hands caressed hot flesh once Laura was freed of her shirt. Needing more immediately Laura unclasped her own bra and presented her breast to Carmilla’s watering mouth. Without hesitation Carmilla sucked a warm nipple into her hot mouth making Laura cry out. Laura could feel Carmilla swirl her tongue around the bud while kneading her other breast at the same time. Laura shamelessly gyrated her hips into the CEO trying to burn herself alive with pleasure. Carmilla unexpectedly bit down on the peak of the bud and pinched the other nipple sending a flood of arousal directly to Laura’s clit.

“Oh god.” Laura groaned at Carmilla’s ministrations. Realizing Carmilla was wearing too many clothes she tugged at her top. Carmilla released Laura’s nipple with a pop and brought her arms up to allow Laura to rid her of her top. Carmilla wasn’t wearing a bra beneath the shirt and she smirked as Laura gawked at her exposed breasts. A chuckle snapped Laura out of her daze and she pulled back from Carmilla’s lap and quickly unbuttoned her jeans. She pulled her jeans down along with her underwear and stood in front of Carmilla fully naked. Carmilla slowly raked her eyes across Laura’s naked body making Laura basically drip down her thighs. This needs to happen. Now.

“Your turn,” Laura chimed bringing Carmilla out of her thoughts. Silently Carmilla stood up and unzipped her leather pants locking eyes with Laura. She peeled her pants off and stepped out of her lacy black underwear before lying down on the velvet black sofa. She opened her legs wide to show Laura how much she wanted her. “Come here.” Carmilla husked opening her arms for Laura. She straddled the girl’s hips making Carmilla moan at the feeling of Laura’s arousal smearing her stomach. Carmilla leaned forward searching for Laura’s warm lips sighing intently as she felt Laura kiss her back. This kiss wasn’t as urgent as their previous kisses. This kiss was an attempt to mend a broken promise between two lovers. Laura threaded her fingers into Carmilla’s luscious brown hair and began to trail kisses down Carmilla’s jawline. She responded by gripping Laura’s firm ass and moaning as she felt Laura tug her earlobe with her teeth. Laura breathed into Carmilla’s ear as she maneuvered a thigh between Carmilla’s legs and used her hip to put direct pressure against Carmilla’s dripping center.

“Fuck!” Carmilla gasped at the feeling given to her from Laura’s muscular leg. She threw her head back exposing her neck further for Laura to lavish. Carmilla brought a hand up to pull Laura’s mouth closer to her neck signaling the girl to mark her. As Laura bit down on Carmilla’s pulse point, Carmilla snaked a hand down and dipped her fingers between Laura’s folds. Both girls moaned at the other’s advances quickly losing themselves into the other. Carmilla collected Laura’s wetness and quickly swiped the girls clit back and forth stealing all the air from Laura’s lungs. Laura whined and pressed her forehead against the brunettes staring deeply into her eyes. The air was hot and smelled of their dual arousal and sweat.

“Mmm more.” Laura gasped as Carmilla teased her entrance with a finger. Carmilla seemed stubborn because she wasn’t advancing further into Laura’s core making the other girl impatient. Laura rested her weight onto her left forearm next to Carmilla’s head and brought her right hand down to Carmilla’s center. Without warning Laura plunged two fingers deep into Carmilla twisting them in a delicious way to get her point across. Carmilla screamed into Laura’s mouth at the sudden feeling of being filled and stretched. Carmilla rewarded Laura’s behavior by mirroring her and thrusting two fingers into her entrance as well. Soon both girls pumped in unison as their bodies molded into each other. The room was filled with the sounds of their bodies slapping against wetness and their own explicit moans. With Carmilla’s expert fingers making her see stars, Laura knew she wouldn’t last much longer. She wanted Carmilla to tumble over the edge with her so she searched her mind for Carmilla’s turn ons.

“Oh Baby you feel so good. Ah! Harder. Take it, claim me as yours. Ugh!” Laura screamed as Carmilla began to slam her body harder into Laura, using her leg to push further inside. Laura doubled her efforts to try and pleasure Carmilla forcing her over the edge. She knew Carmilla was close because her moans were becoming more frequent and high pitch while her walls were tightening around her fingers

. “You’re mine! You belong to me Laura!” Carmilla cried out as her body stilled and slammed into her orgasm like a freight train.

“Always.” Laura chanted as her own body convulsed into oblivion. Both girls moaned and rode out their orgasms together desperately trying to suck in air to their lungs. Laura pulled back and looked into Carmilla's dark eyes. The satisfaction of her release quickly disappeared as guilt crept its way into Laura's heart.

"Shit." Laura said with a shaky breath. What did she just do?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Things only get better from here! *wink*


	9. What the What?

“Oh my god, oh my god, oh Frick.” Laura chants while staring into Carmilla’s eyes. Laura was so lost in her head and sudden panic that she missed the way Carmilla’s body stiffened after hearing her words. Carmilla moved to sit up causing Laura’s body to kick into overdrive and practically jump off Carmilla’s pelvis as if she were burned. A heavy sigh escaped Carmilla’s lungs as she stood up and walked over to the mini bar, not bothering to cover herself up. She could hear Laura whispering a rant under her breath as she short circuited from the couch. This version of Laura was all too familiar to Carmilla and honestly was as much a nuisance now, as it was back then.

“Let me guess,” Carmilla practically spat, “This is the part where we pretend this never happened? You run back to your simple little life and dull your own light so the Giant can shine. Tell me Buttercup, are you really willing to turn your back on everything you stand for to become a Stepford Wife?” Carmilla gripped the edge of the counter to steady herself and slammed a shot of whiskey. The burn from the alcohol mirrored the burn in her chest. Laura looked away from the floor and gazed upon Carmilla’s pale skin. An alarm went off in Laura’s head informing her that they both were in fact still naked. She abruptly got up and scurried over to retrieve her clothing off the ground.

“Why are you so infuriating!?” Laura yelled wiggling around trying to get her pants back on. Why is getting back into your clothes in a hurry so much harder than getting out of them in a hurry? Laura was a flailing mess of nerves desperately trying to cover up and pick up her dignity off of the floor of the club. Carmilla radiated aloof indifference as she turned away from the minibar to face Laura.

“That bunched up face you make when you’re mad is hilarious Buttercup.” Carmilla smirked. Once Laura was clothed again she looked back to Carmilla assuming she too had changed back into her clothing. A deep blush crept up from her neck to her cheeks upon realizing she was wrong.

“Carmilla, can you please put some clothes on!” Laura asked slapping a hand over her eyes. Laura was already in the process of denying anything happened between them the last hour. It would be much easier if Carmilla wasn’t standing before her in all her naked glory, reminding Laura what she did to that body moments ago.

“If I recall, you didn’t mind when you were on top of me 5 minutes ago.” Carmilla shrugged. She gracefully walked over to her clothes and began redressing herself.

“Oh my gosh, not the point!” Laura squeaked. Her anger had multiplied and hit her with full force. She couldn’t tell who she was angrier with, Carmilla’s indifference or herself for destroying her life with a meaningless hook up. It was meaningless right?

“Than what is the point then Laura? Do you know why you slept with me, or do you still think the world is black and white?” Carmilla growled. She pulled her top over her head and glared at Laura who was as red as a tomato. Carmilla could practically see the steam draining out of Laura’s ears, releasing the pressure of anger in her head. Laura just looked at the ground not daring to look into the dark eyes searching for answers. Carmilla took Laura’s silence as confirmation that the girl she used to love truly was gone. The girl she loved was impulsive and brilliant. She would never just sit still and look pretty, no. Instead Laura would fight, protest, and question all the things that got in her way from doing the right thing. Laura’s dreams were so big she couldn’t help but radiate light and warmth while on the path to achieve them. All these years, there wasn’t a single doubt in Carmilla’s mind that Laura wouldn’t accomplish every single dream she had back then. To say she was dreadfully disappointed would be an understatement. Without another word Carmilla walked out of the room with her head held high, accepting this whole situation as an unconventional goodbye

. ……………………

Due to it being so late, Laura hailed a cab back to her apartment at 3am. Laura was basically on autopilot the whole way back home, otherwise she would have noticed that the front door to her apartment was already unlocked.

“Where in the hell have you been!?” Danny screamed running out from the kitchen to Laura. Laura jumped and blinked repeatedly while registering Danny’s words. Wasn’t she supposed to be in LA?

“Danny? I thought you were with a client in LA?” Laura shook her head. Laura found it peculiar that Danny was still in her work attire. Danny had her long red hair pulled back with a hair tie and was still wearing her black pants and white button up. Her black tie was loosened and the sleeves of her shirt rolled up, but she still had her shoes on. All signs pointing that Danny came home in a rush.

“Do you care to explain to me where you have been until 3:30 in the morning?” Danny barked ignoring the question Laura asked. “Also why is a drunk Kirsch sleeping on our couch?” Laura glanced passed Danny and saw that Kirsch was in fact face down in all his clothes drooling on her gray couch. She needed to defuse the situation before Danny’s anger got even more out of hand. Laura sat her keys down on the table near the door buying time to think of a good story.

“Kirsch and Betty are getting a divorce. He’s obviously not taking it so well, because he showed up drunk to our apartment looking for a place to stay. I went to the store looking for medicine to help against his impending hangover in the morning, but forgot he was allergic to certain drugs. So I came home and decided to make a home remedy instead.” Laura sighed. That was believable right? Danny didn’t look like she bought it. Actually it looked like Laura’s attempt to tone down the situation only made things worse. Laura was taken back with the wild look in Danny’s eyes. The air in the apartment felt thicker than smoke and her gut informed her that she should run. If Danny was the predator, that would make Laura the prey.

“You want me to believe that? You both smell like tequila Laura! You know what I think happened? I think you asked Kirsch to come over sense you knew I was gone, planning to drink and seduce him. We both know how handsy you get when you’ve been drinking. Tell me I’m wrong.” Danny spat backing Laura against the door. Laura’s eyes went wide at the accusation, feeling the doorknob against her lower back.

“That’s not wh-“Laura began to say but what quickly interrupted by a loud crack against her face. She fell to the floor like a sack of potatoes with her equilibrium way out of whack. Danny just hit her. This was new. No matter how mad Danny got during their arguments in the past, Danny never laid a hand upon her. Laura looked at the pattern of wood on the ground and waited for the pain to tell the truth about whether or not this was real.

“Stop lying to me!” Danny cried while falling to the floor to pin Laura down with her body weight. Laura’s heart rate vibrated through her veins and took a sharp inhale accessing her current position.

“I’m not lying!” Laura croaked and was again silenced by another hit to the face. The blow caused Laura to face Kirsch still sleeping on the couch. She could taste blood now and her vision was blurring with tears.

“Tell me! Tell me the truth!” Danny ordered indicating her point with another punch to the face. Now Laura was looking at the table by the door. Danny’s body weight was crushing her and she was finding it more difficult to breathe.

“Danny please!”

Another hit. Kirsch wasn’t on the sofa anymore.

Laura moved her head to face forward and ignored the feeling of sticky blood running down the back of her throat. Kirsch was pulling Danny off of Laura by her shoulders. There was screaming but Laura could decipher the words, not with the pounding headache she had. With the free weight gone, Laura rolled over and tried to get up. The blood was dripping onto the hardwood floors now that Laura was facing down. A swift kick to the ribs made Laura fall back down. Apparently Danny broke free from Kirsch’s grip. A sound of flesh hitting flesh and Laura heard something heavy fall to the floor beside her.

Danny lied next to Laura unconscious with speckles of blood on her white shirt. Laura coughed trying to suck in air to reflate her lungs. Kirsch stumbled around the room before Laura could feel him pick her up bridal style. Inside the safety of Kirsch’s embrace Laura looked at his face and could see that Danny got a few hits in. His eye was swollen, he had a busted lip, and a bloody nose. Kirsch walked them both out into the cold outside and held Laura close to his chest.

She could tell she was beginning to lose consciousness because tiny black spots started to steal her vision away. Darkness clouded her mind with little fragments of noise paired with it. They were in a car. Kirsch was asking questions, perhaps where they should go? Hopefully nowhere Danny would expect. Silence. Darkness.

Kirsch was lifting her up again. They were outside again because Laura’s body was freezing. Was she shaking? A warm rush of air told Laura they were inside a building again. More darkness. Kirsch was walking them upstairs. It smelled like Chinese food and new carpet. Kirsch’s embrace was warm and his arms felt strong around Laura’s frail body. Why couldn’t Laura open her eyes? Kirsch knocked on a door by kicking his shoe at it. Light and loud rock music flowed out from an open door. Kirsch carried them into a warm room and the loud music stopped.

“What the fuck happened to you two?” A sultry voice asked. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My apologies for waiting so long to add another chapter. Unfortunately being twenty something means you have work and bills. Boring things.


	10. Heartache

(6-ish Years Ago)

Carmilla got off the bus back at Silas at 10:30pm. Ever sense Laura stormed out into the night after seeing Carmilla’s way of living, she wouldn’t answer a single text or call from Carmilla. After a week and a half of waiting for Laura to cool down, Carmilla decided to take the bus ride back to school and try to fight for their romance. In the past, Carmilla would have gladly held the door open for anyone to walk out of her life. None of them truly mattered in the end anyways. No one, except Laura. She seeped into the furthest and coldest parts of Carmilla’s heart, replacing the darkness with her warm glow. Carmilla still had no idea how Laura managed to find her bubbly little self in the middle of the hurricane that was Carmilla’s life. She had been meaning to explain to Laura the dynamic of her family. Of her Mother. After years of putting up a front and handling everything on her own, how was she supposed to break down her walls and let waters rush towards Laura not expecting her to drown?

Carmilla zipped up her leather jacket around a gray hoodie to conserve the heat she gained from the bus ride. She pulled out her phone.

**Mad Scientist (9:19pm** ): Zeta’s are having a party. She’s here. I just left.

Carmilla wondered why Laf had broken habit of being attached at the hip of Curly Sue. One war at a time though. Pocketing her phone she began to walk down the path towards the Zeta Fraternity House, already hearing the music in the distance. A long walk and 6 love confessing speeches later, Carmilla found herself outside peering into a window of the Zeta home. Countless people we outside smoking and hollering obscenities at her while she stared through the glass, unable to remove her eyes from a nightmare.

There were hundreds of people in the house but Carmilla saw Laura and Danny almost instantly. Danny was sitting in a beat up orange recliner and had a very eager Laura straddling her lap and kissing the side of the bean stalk’s neck. Danny had her disproportionate arms wrapped possessively around Laura’s waist and her mouth agape in what only could be a moan of some sort. Carmilla could feel the harsh kick of her emotions plummeting her stomach to the floor and stealing away the air she needed to survive this. The bile rushed out of her mouth as she hunched over and released her pain into naked bushes. Fight or flight kicked in and she chose the latter, wiping her mouth off with her sleeve and headed anywhere but there. She understood now why Laf had left the party.

Carmilla’s big clunky boots lead her like a compass to her destination of choice. You guessed it, a bar. If Laura could forget about their love by sucking face with the enemy, than Carmilla could do the same by drowning her sorrows in a bottle of Whiskey. She took shelter from the cold bitterness of fall inside the old dirty establishment. Carmilla has been here countless times before Laura, looking for any potential girl to hook up with. One thing Carmilla never saw here though was a familiar redhead sitting at the bar. Against her better judgment and instincts, Carmilla clunked down next to the silent ginger. She ordered three shots of whiskey when the bartender came over. All shots were empty before Lafontaine finally spoke up.

“I see you found her.” Lafontaine stated in a grim voice. The bartender filled up three more shots and slid a clear drink towards Laf. Glancing quickly at the liquid, Carmilla concluded it was vodka. Shocking sense she’s never seen the ginger drink before. Instead of answering the question, she asked one of her own.

“Who pissed in your cherrios?” Carmilla questioned throwing back another shot. The whiskey was finally starting to take effect on her, which was a god given gift. She just opened the door to a potentially emotional conversation while she was already on edge herself.

“I’m non-binary Carmilla” Lafontaine said exhaustively. They took a sip from the clear beverage and sighed.

“Okay” Carmilla stated. Lafontaine moved their eyes away from the bar and looked up to meet Carmilla’s eyes. Carmilla noticed their eyes were bloodshot and red, no doubt from crying. She sat still as they searched her eyes looking for any signs of falseness.

“Just like that?” They asked.

“Just like that.” Carmilla shrugged rearranging her two shots on the bar.

“I’d hug you but I know you don’t care for affection.” Laf joked while turning back to the bar to sip their drink. Carmilla could see a small smile on the side of Laf’s face as they humbly sipped their drink. As quick as she noticed it, the smile faltered to a deep frown. “I told Perry before the party today. She reacted similar to how my parents did when I told them over break.” Laf began. “My Mother went into complete denial and locked herself in her room for two days. My father scolded me like a small child for making my mother cry. He told me not to come back home until I got this ‘nonsense’ out of my head.”

Carmilla swallowed a lump in her throat at the confession. Coming out to anyone as anything is always difficult. Whether you’re a boy, girl, neither, both, gay, straight, bisexual, or anything under the sun. At the end of the day, you are the same person as you have always been. In grade school they teach you how awesome it is to be unique, but somewhere along the path of growing up everyone is expected to fit into cookie cutter cut outs for society. Its complete bullshit. Carmilla wished she could give Laf’s parents a piece of her mind right now.

“Look this may or may not be the whiskey talking, but I’m getting a hotel for the next week and a half for finals. After that, I’m transferring to New York to work for my families company.” Carmilla explained, taking another shot in between sentences. “I’m sure most of the credits will roll over to the other school and I could definitely get you a job if you want to tag along?” Carmilla eyed her last shot. The rush of alcohol was hitting her pretty hard, but she knew deep down she meant every word she said. Sure this was a completely impulsive decision. She wanted to run away from the pain and betrayal of losing Laura, but it would be nice to have a friend with her. She could call Laf a friend right?

‘Really?” Laf questioned facing directly towards Carmilla’s direction. Lafontaine’s face lit up during the offer, so Carmilla really had no other choice but to commit to plan.

“If you make a big deal about it, I’ll take it back.” Carmilla shrugged while swallowing her last shot. “Now help me find a hotel. Also I’ll need your assistance to help me walk there. Those shots were powerful.”

Lafontaine rolled their eyes but still moved closer to help Carmilla navigate through her phone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Short chapter but I'll make it up to you all tomorrow!!


	11. The Clean Up

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the wait Lovely's, I'm a busy worker bee. I promise I'll try better to update this story on a more regular basis! Thank you so much for all the comments and for reading. You're all so wonderful!

There are a few moments in Carmilla’s life where everything in the world seemed to stop due to one catastrophic event. Most of those events somehow correlated to Laura Hollis. The first time Laura managed to stop time for Carmilla was when they met in the Quad so many years ago.

Carmilla was sitting on a navy blue blanket beneath a big oak tree reading some novel her professor dubbed as a ‘profound masterpiece’. She was struggling with relating to the teachings of the writer, when a small girl stumbled over her boots she tossed next to her blanket. A mess of limbs collapsed into her line of vision, almost knocking her out with a book. Carmilla was thankful she had fast reflexes otherwise she would have an impressive black eye to sport for the next week.

“Ahh!” the small girl yelled as she fell face first into Carmilla’s things, almost nailing her head on Carmilla’s sharp shin bones.

“What the hell!” Carmilla growled pulling her legs quickly against her chest to avoid getting trampled on. Carmilla ripped her sunglasses off her face preparing to shoot daggers at the klutz who interrupted her solitude. The girl rolled over onto her back and moved her honey blonde hair out of her face to look up at Carmilla. Suddenly the universe came to a crashing halt, as Carmilla found herself staring into the eyes of a star brighter than the Earths Sun.

Somehow the most gorgeous woman Carmilla has ever seen in her life, almost literally fell into her lap. The girl couldn’t have been much older than Carmilla, fore she had a genuine innocence in her expressions. Her eyes were golden honey and sucked all the rage and irritation out of Carmilla faster than she could blink. She was wearing a grey cardigan and dark blue skinny jeans. A navy blue tank top beneath the now tussled cardigan pinned underneath her body. The stranger had a jawline that a Greek God would be envious of and plump lips that Carmilla imagined nobody could resist. The girl just laid there staring into Carmilla’s dark eyes for what felt like a lifetime. The silence was broken when the blonde processed her current location.

“I-I’m so sorry! I was responding to a text from my Father and I totally didn’t see your boots there! I hope I didn’t hurt you or break any of your things! Oh my gosh, I’m so clumsy! I should have been looking where I was going. Again I’m so sorry! I’m just going to get out of your way now.” The girl ranted scrambling up and tucking her hair behind her ear. She grabbed her book bag that fell and ran away before Carmilla could even respond. Carmilla couldn’t take her eyes off the girl as she walked away; she was hypnotized by the way her hips swung as she walked.

Taking a deep breathe to collect her emotions she looked down at her blanket to locate her book. That’s when she noticed the big red book that almost rearranged her face. Carmilla picked up the book and turned it over, “The Elements of Journalism.” She noticed the sticker on the spine of the book indicating that it belonged to the Silas University Library. She opened the book and looked behind the cover to see who checked it out last. Laura E. Hollis was written in perfect cursive with a purple pen. Carmilla smiled and gathered her things with a new destination in mind.

The moment Laura agreed to go on a date with Carmilla was another time when everything stopped. Or when Laura kissed Carmilla for the first time under that same tree where they met. Countless memories where time stood still for the two girls, all hidden inside Carmilla’s mind. So theoretically Carmilla shouldn’t have been shocked when time stopped as she opened the door to a broken and bloody Kirsch holding a supernova in his arms.

“What the fuck happened to you two!?” Carmilla asked opening the door further to accommodate the pair to enter her apartment. Kirsch had dried blood smeared all over his face and a deep bruise under his eye. His nose had dried blood caked around it and blood was dripping down his chin from his lip. If he was in pain she didn’t show it at all.

“Laura got beat up really bad. I know you two aren’t on good terms right now after what happened years ago, but I didn’t know where else to bring her. Danny would find her if I took her anywhere else. You were the safest option.” Kirsch explained as he walked down Carmilla’s hallway towards the bathroom.

“Danny did this to you guys?” Carmilla asked busing herself by getting the first aid kit she kept in her bathroom. Kirsch sat on the floor and positioned Laura to lean against him who was still very much unconscious. Carmilla fell to the floor to her knees and moved Laura’s hair out of her face, the sight of Laura’s beaten face forming a thick lump in Carmilla’s throat. She began to clean up the cuts and whip the blood off Laura’s face as Kirsch explained everything that happened. Laura winced at the burning of the peroxide but didn’t wake up from Carmilla cleaning her up.

“Not that I’m complaining but why did you go decide to crash there in the first place? You could have just crashed here again Kirsch.” Carmilla stated while sighing and putting a butterfly band aid on Laura’s bruised cheek. Carmilla could see the deep bruising forming under the frail girls skin, she will need a shower when she wakes up to get the dried blood out of her hair.

“Look bro, it looked like you were dressing up to get laid tonight and I didn’t want to cock-block you by sleeping on your couch again” Kirsch sighed pushing his hair out of his face as Carmilla began to clean him up as well. Carmilla tried to ignore that she did get laid, by the girl currently unconscious in her bathroom. She really hoped that this violence wasn’t triggered by that fact, although it was likely.

“Kirsch, you know you’re always welcomed here. That’s why I gave you a key when you told me you and Betty split.” Carmilla explained while standing up and throwing the dirtied supplies in the trash. ”You can put Laura in my bed to sleep tonight and you get the spare bedroom. I’ll sleep on the couch and check on both of you throughout the night. Also you should definitely shower. You smell like a brewery.” Carmilla walked into her room and pulled back the giant duvet while Kirsch gently laid Laura down on the bed. Kirsch thanked Carmilla for helping and headed back towards the bathroom to shower.

Carmilla sat on the edge of the bed and stared at Laura as she slept. Rage boiled in her heart as she thought about how frightened Laura must have been when Danny attacked them. Carmilla had been beaten countless times and knew that the physical pain would never compare to emotional pain from the situation. A few hours ago Laura cracked herself open in front of Carmilla and ended up sleeping with her in a club. After that Carmilla left Laura confused and alone because she was hurting. The anger from feeling used clouded Carmilla’s mind, resulting of Laura going home and getting hurt by someone Laura believed to love her. The guilt crashed through Carmilla’s cold heart forming tears behind her eyes. Carmilla ran her fingers through her hair and exhaled the breath she was holding. The tears began to fall down her milky face and her body shook trying to choke back sobs.

“You were supposed to stay safe.” Carmilla whispered wiping the tears off her face. She took a deep breath and looked at Laura one last time before quietly stepping out of the bedroom. Carmilla walked into the spare bedroom and pulled out some black sheets and a pillow. She headed to the living room and stretched the sheets over the cushions of the sofa. When she was done making a makeshift bed she sat down and closed her eyes feeling the stress of the day pinch the nerves in her neck. She assumed a big shit show would start once Laura woke up and realized where Kirsch brought her. How could he have known? He was right thought, this was the safest place to bring Laura. Carmilla heard Kirsch retreat into the spare bedroom after his shower and closing the door. Carmilla sighed and shuffled on the couch to lie down and rest her head on the pillow. She really needed to get some rest if she was expected to play host to someone who may or may not hate her. Carmilla really had no idea what she was doing providing a safe haven to her ex lover, but as she slipped into a deep sleep she hoped that it was the right thing letting her stay.


	12. Welcome Home

Laura woke up with a skull crushing headache even before she opened her eyes. She reached to her face to rub her temples and immediately stopped when she felt the splitting pain. Laura winced from the pain which only increased the pain by a hundred. She dared to open her eyes to chance how bright the room was and was instantly grateful it was dark. She looked around and her stomach bottomed out; she had no idea what she was.  
Laura was lying in a big king sized bed surrounded by blood red silk sheets and a black duvet. The room smelled amazing, like a combination of a rainy day and a sunny beach with hints of coconut. Laura took a deep breath and tried to figure out what was so familiar about that specific fragrance.  
Her memories hit her like a clap of lightening; The business plan, Laura talking to Will at the club, Laura and Carmilla….talking, Danny showing up early, Danny hitting her and screaming at her, and Kirsch getting her out of there. Tears began to flood behind her eyes and her throat burned as the images cluttered her brain.

A gentle knock at the door made Laura gasp between the cries that she tried to muffle. The door slowly opened and Carmilla shyly came forward with a dark blue mug in her hand. She was wearing a dark grey baggy tank top with one side falling down her shoulders. Her soft brown hair pouring past the opposite shoulder causing her neck to be on full display. The end of the shirt reached to the tips of her upper thighs and Laura tired her hardest not to notice the black lace of Carmilla’s panties playing peek-a-boo.

“Hey Sundance, I’m sure you’re wondering how you got here.” Carmilla said in a husky voice. She must have either recently woken up or she never went to sleep. “The sweet puppy Kirsch brought you here after, to keep you safe. He’s been staying with me for a few weeks, but he doesn’t know what happened between you and I.” She handed Laura the cup and immediately dropped her gaze to the floor and tensed her shoulders up.

“Thanks.” Laura whispered looking down at the mug of hot liquid. It warmed her hands as she brought it up to her lips to take a sip. It was hot chocolate, made the right way. Two packets of mix, half and half, and a splash of vanilla. They way Laura’s mom always taught her to make it. Carmilla remembered? Laura took two deep gulps of the hot chocolate and felt it warm her muscles and warn off her headache. She closed her eyes and sighed deeply.

“If you want to shower the bathroom is all yours. You’re also welcome to wear anything in the closet. Throw your clothes in the hamper and I’ll take care of them in the morning.” Carmilla stated as she stood up and walked towards the door. “Kirsch is down the hall and I’m sleeping on the couch. If you need anything just call me. I’m sorry about everything Laura, and I’m not talking about Danny. Goodnight.” She slowly closed the door leaving Laura alone with her thoughts.

Laura sat there in the safety of Carmilla’s bed and sipped her hot chocolate, summoning up the courage to go in the bathroom. She finished the comforting drink and threw her legs over the edge of the bed feeling her ribs burn. She gasped and threw her hand to cover the hurt in her abdomen. She stood up and felt the strain in her ribcage and neck as she tip toed to the bathroom. She felt the side of the wall for the light switch, flicking it on when she found it. Her eyes quickly adjusted to the light and she stared in horror at the mirror. She had two black eyes and some serious swelling on her face. There was a cut on her lip and cheek bone but the cut on her cheek seemed to be patched over.  
She couldn’t stand looking at herself like that. She didn’t want to see herself look so broken and destroyed. She flicked the light off and walked over to the counter.

“Carm.” Laura called out. She could hear her own voice cracking giving away her emotions. It didn’t take long before Laura could hear footsteps behind her. Carmilla didn’t say anything or turn the lights on to check on Laura. She just stood in the door way that connected the bathroom to the bedroom.

“I can’t-I can’t look at myself Carm. I need to get out of these clothes! I feel so dirty but I can’t look at myself.” Laura sobbed. Carmilla slowly walked forward and placed a hand tentatively on Laura’s shoulder in a form of comfort. When Laura didn’t cower away Carmilla began to rub reassuring circles against Laura’s back. Feeling Laura so close to her made the air in the bathroom shift suddenly. Everything became more intimate just like at the club.

“Let me help you.” Carmilla whispered. The words slipping out of her mouth before she could stop them. She gently squeezed Laura’s shoulders before quietly exiting the room. Laura held her gaze on the faint shapes she could make out in the dark of the tile floor. She heard Carmilla fumbling with a match before a soft glow enveloped the bathroom in a dim gold hue. Carmilla placed a candle on the counter near Laura and lit another one and placed it near the shower.  
Carmilla walked up to Laura again and slowly turned her around to face her. Laura kept her face to the floor, trying to hide her appearance from the gentle brunette. A pale hand cupped Laura’s chin and moved her face to look at Carmilla’s. Laura smiled at Carmilla when her eyes gazed upon the CEO’s face. Carmilla was wearing a blind fold in effort to protect Laura’s modestly. Although it was pointless given the fact that Carmilla was the one to clean the blood off her face earlier that night.

“I won’t look as I clean you up, but you’ll have to guide me around so I don’t catch on fire.” Carmilla chuckled. She knew offering to bathe Laura was risky, but Laura was in a vulnerable state and Carmilla needed to get to her level in order to help. “Don’t worry I won’t try anything, I just want to help.”  
Laura looked at Carmilla and back to the shower. She gnawed on her bottom lip as she made the choice on what to do. She walked over to the walk in shower and slid the glass door open. Laura turned the water on to medium warmth and walked back over to Carmilla. She knew Carmilla wouldn’t dare cross the boundary and take advantage, but Laura needed to feel Carmilla’s embrace right now. She needed Carmilla to chase away the hurt in her heart and fill it up with her warmth and smell.

“You can undress me now.” Laura whispered once she reached Carmilla’s space. Carmilla smiled softly and reached her hands out to Laura. Her hands found their destination at Laura’s ribs and she skated her fingers towards the buttons of her flannel. The second time in one night she was removing this piece of clothing from Laura’s body. Laura watched as Carmilla swallow nervously as she slid the shirt off of Laura.  
Laura didn’t dare look at the bruising tainting her precious skin, she kept her eyes glued to the way Carmilla’s lip twitched as she ghosts her hands down to feel for Laura’s pants. Once she reaches the rim of Laura’s jeans, she follows it to the front and unsnaps the button with a pop. Laura can hear Carmilla suck in a breath as she pulls the zipper down and crouches to free Laura of the denim. She stands up again and reaches for Laura’s sides to take off her underwear but is met by nothing but smooth skin. She furrows her eye brows looking for the pantie line then abruptly rips her hands off Laura when she realizes.

“Yeah I’m not wearing any.” Laura chuckled watching the blush burn into Carmilla’s cheeks.

“I’m afraid to see if you’re wearing a bra or not. I didn’t feel one when I took your shirt off.” Carmilla asked dropping her head lower and wrapping her hands around the hem of her tank top. She began to fist and tug the fabric around, which was a nervous habit she’s had sense she could remember. Laura was warmed by how bashful Carmilla was being. A complete 180 from how she was when they last interacted, but then again Laura didn’t think she could handle anymore hostility tonight.

“No I’m good.” Laura said. She watched Carmilla take another sharp inhale and nod her head. She let go of her shirt and reached a hand out to Laura.

“Shall we?” Carmilla husked out. Laura took her hand and led the brunette towards the shower door. She opened it and turned towards Carmilla before entering.

“Aren’t you going to take off your clothes too?”  
Carmilla shook her head and started moving into the shower too- Her tank top immediately darkening and clinging to her body. Laura closed her eyes and relaxed herself beneath the embrace of the warm water hitting her skin.

“I’m going to need your help finding the shampoo and stuff.” Carmilla whispered feeling the heat of the shower against her chest. Laura opened her eyes and stared silently at the girl. The glow from the candles made Carmilla impossibly more stunning, even in a soggy tank top and wet hair. Laura took the shampoo off the ledge of the shower and placed it in Carmilla’s hands before turning around facing the shower head. She could hear the pop of the container and then a hand flatly against her back, searching for the location of Laura’s body. Carmilla began to massage the shampoo into Laura’s hair, going in gentle circles all around her scalp. Laura sighed at the sensation of Carmilla’s fingers working through her long honey hair and was comforted by the familiar coconut smell of the shampoo.

Once all of Laura’s hair was thoroughly shampooed, Carmilla spun her around to rinse out the soap. Laura could feel Carmilla step closer to her as she reached out and began running her fingers through. Laura instantly gripped Carmilla’s waist and threw her head back towards the shower closing her eyes. The sudden contact stilled Carmilla’s ministrations but she eventually continued to rinse out Laura’s hair.

“Conditioner?” Carmilla asked as she took a small step back signaling Laura she was done with the shampoo. They repeated the intimate process of cleansing the Laura’s hair in silence. Laura grabbed the soap and loofa and placed them in Carmilla’s hands. She looked at the blind fold shielding Carmilla from seeing her beaten flesh. She watched as the brunette popped the soap open and squeezed some out onto the loofa. Carmilla placed the soap bottle on the ground and stood up to face Laura again. Laura reached up to Carmilla’s face and lifted the blindfold off the girl. She needed Carmilla’s dark eyes peering into her own.

She watched as Carmilla opened her eyes and collided with Laura’s worried ones. The gravity of her gaze connected to Laura on a cellular level. Carmilla furrowed her eye browns in question about why Laura removed the boundary of her vision.

“It’s okay.” Laura whispered stepping forward out of the spray of the shower. Carmilla nodded and drifted her eyes down Laura’s body as she began to wash the horrendous day off Laura’s skin. She didn’t flinch or stare at the bruises she saw. She didn’t blatantly stare at Laura’s naked body like a teenage boy either. Laura saw nothing but care and admiration in Carmilla’s face as the girl worked. Emotions bubbled up into Laura’s throat and she launched herself into Carmilla’s arms, tightly gripping the wet tank top. She could feel Carmilla’s strong arms snake around her waist as Laura sobbed into her neck. Carmilla moved their bodies beneath the warm streams of water to wash the soap off Laura. She slowly rubbed up and down Laura’s back as she crumbled against her.  
Everything was tumbling out of Laura as she cried in Carmilla’s arms. She cried for her mistakes about Carmilla’s past, she cried over the numbness that has consumed her life, she cried over the guilt of cheating on Danny, she cried about the pain Danny caused due to her rage, but mostly she cried over how fucked up everything had to get before she finally broke down. Deep down Laura knew she was unhappy with Danny. Carmilla hit the nail on the head when she said Laura dimmed her own light to help Danny shine. How had she let things go so far? Years of her life she will never get back because she settles into complacency.

Laura felt Carmilla reach past her and turn off the shower that had begun to cool. She hugged Laura tightly before releasing the girl and wiping the tears off Laura’s wet face. She grabbed a fluffy red towel and wrapped Laura around in it.

“You can help yourself to anything in my closet.” Carmilla smiled before she stepped out of the shower to remove the sopping wet tank top. She walked into her bedroom in nothing but black lace panties and Laura tried not to stare. Carmilla turned on the light and disappeared into the closet before Laura tentatively entered the bedroom. She emerged in a pair of gray cotton panties and a baggy black shirt with her hair in a bun. “Go pick something and ill help you into it before you go to sleep.”

Laura walked into the giant closet and looked for something comfortable to wear. Carmilla had impressive amounts of tailored button ups and business attire. Towards the back of the closet Laura noticed a big plain yellow shirt. She took it off the hanger and searched for a pair of undies. Laura grabbed a simple black pair and tried to ignore the fact she was willingly going to put on her exes panties. She walked up to Carmilla and handed her the clothing.

Carmilla took the shirt with a shocking expression, as if she forgot she owned a yellow shirt. Laura dropped her towel and had to fight a smirk as Carmilla’s eyes shot up to her face. Laura could tell Carmilla was trying not to gaze down her body as the woman pulled the beaten in yellow shirt over her head. She bent down and slipped the undies on one by one through Laura’s legs before lifting it up in place. Carmilla stood up and gave Laura one last shy smile before heading towards the door.

“Goodnight Laura.” Carmilla said as she reached for the handle of the door and opening it.

“Actually, would you mind staying? I-I don’t want to be alone.” Laura hesitated. She watched as Carmilla turned to face her trying to read her expression. She closed the door and turned off the lights, casting the room in a faint glow from the candles still burning in the bathroom. Laura turned into the bathroom to blow out the candles so that Carmilla’s apartment didn’t burn down in their sleep. One less thing to go wrong tonight.

When Laura walked into the bedroom she could see the outline of Carmilla already underneath the blankets in bed with the fan on. Under the darkness of the room Laura smiles easily at the girl waiting for her. As she got closer to the bed Carmilla threw over the blankets allowing Laura to enter the warmth and snuggle against her. Laura placed her body against the other girl and nuzzled her face into the pounding flesh of Carmilla’s neck. She smelled like home and peace. Carmilla wrapped her arms around Laura holding the girl flush against herself. The room stilled and Laura could feel herself slowly slip into sleep.

“Thank you Carm. For everything you did tonight.” Laura whispered sleepily. She nuzzled further into Carmilla and wrapped her arms around the girl. “I mean everything too.” Laura sighed welcoming the peaceful sleep to take over her. Laura felt Carmilla hold her a little tighter before she fell into a deep sleep. The best ending to a crazy eventful day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I didn't forget about this story I promise! I just got a little side tracked about how I wanted this chapter to go. You all are amazing :)


	13. The Morning After

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I am so sorry that I haven't posted another chapter in the last couple months. I haven't forgotten about this story! if anything I finally figured out where I want this story to go. Enjoy!

The distinct smell of bacon radiated throughout Carmilla’s apartment and bombarded Laura’s senses as she slowly awoke in the mass of blankets on top of the bed. Laura grumbled and attempted to stretch as much as she could without further injuring her body. She tentatively opened her eyes trying to adjust to the harsh sunlight beaming into the bedroom. Laura groaned as her stomach screamed for her to get up and follow the delicious smell into the kitchen for food and coffee. She unraveled herself from the confines of the blanket cocoon and pulled her tussled hair into a lazy bun. She walked through the hallway near the kitchen and could hear Carmilla humming and Kirsch talking with food in his mouth. Laura briefly considered walking back into Carmilla’s room to search for pants but decided food was more important.

Laura entered the kitchen and tried to stifle a laugh at the scene in front of her. Kirsch was wearing a red sleeveless hoodie and American flag boxers, sitting on a bar stool laughing brightly and shoveling food into his face. Carmilla was in business attire again; light gray button up shirt and dark gray pants with black heels. She also had a bright red apron on and was dancing while she flipped pancakes at the stove. Smooth Jazz was playing somewhere in the Living room and could be heard from the kitchen. Laura looked at how happy and careless the two were and was suddenly self-conscious about making her appearance known in the hallway.

Carmilla threw the pancake in the air and laughed as she nearly missed catching it in the pan on the way down. As if she could sense Laura in the room, Carmilla turned to face her guest in the hallway. Laura was nervous about how her friends would react upon seeing her severely bruised appearance. Sure they both saw the damage yesterday when they took care of her, Laura was sure the bruises had deepened as she slept. Carmilla’s smile never faltered as she looked directly into Laura’s unsure eyes. 

“Good Morning Cupcake, I made sure Kirsch saved you some bacon and your pancakes are almost done.” Carmilla greeted gesturing towards the empty seat at the kitchen counter.

“Morning Little Hottie!” Kirsch beamed sliding over the bacon.

“Good Morning,” Laura said smiling shyly and grabbing a piece of bacon. Carmilla set down a mug and a plate filled with pancakes in front of Laura. Laura eyed the dark contents of the mug and frowned.

“Carm I know it’s been a few years and everything, but I’m still not badass enough to drink my coffee black..”

“I figured, which is why I made you a hot chocolate with a secret ingredient.” Carmilla laughed and started putting the dishes in the sink. Laura smiled at the sound of Carmilla’s laughter and she took a hesitant sip from the mug.

“Is the secret ingredient magic because this tastes amazing!” Laura giggled in-between sips.

“No it’s hot chocolate and a chocolate flavored espresso shot. Enough sugar to put you into a diabetic coma.” Carmilla answered raising a perfectly sculpted eyebrow at Laura. She reached over and took away Kirsch’s empty plates. “Hey Laura listen, I have to head into the office in a little while. You’re welcome to stay here as long as you need, but I’m sure Kirsch could give you a ride if you rather go.”

“Yeah, I can totally drop you off anywhere on my way to the gym later.” Kirsch smiled while simultaneously shoveling the rest of his pancakes into his mouth. Laura glanced at Carmilla who was putting away clean dishes. Laura couldn’t help but notice how far Carmilla’s shirt rose up as she leaned over to place the dishes into her cabinet. Laura was overwhelmed with a sudden feeling of sadness at the thought of not being able to spend more time with Carmilla, but she knew she had so much to figure out. 

Laura had to figure out a place to stay while she decided what she wanted to do with Danny, she had to call the school and set up a temporary leave of absence while her bruises heal, and she needed to get a handle on this whole Carmilla thing. Some space and time away might do her some good. 

“Yeah okay Kirsch that would be great. Did you by chance grab my phone when we left my house last night?” Laura hesitantly asked.

“It’s plugged into my spare charger by the bedside table.” Carmilla instructed. Laura watched as Carmilla ran a hand through her smooth brown locks as she waited for more coffee to brew. Before she could get busted for staring she quietly got up from the stool and walked towards Carmilla’s room. Laura walked into the warm bedroom and searched for her phone near the bedside table. She unlocked it and ignored the ridiculous amount of text messages and missed calls from Danny, choosing instead to go straight to her father’s contact icon. She pushed a button and placed her phone against her ear as the call was connecting.

“Hey Sweetheart! Two phone calls in one week!? You haven’t called me twice in one week sense your early college years.” Laura’s father chuckled. Hearing his chipper voice was like a blanket of safety for Laura, and she instantly felt relieved.

“Hey Dad.” Laura sighed quietly. Her mind quickly flooded with different ways to explain her current situation to her father. Where does she begin? The developing realization that maybe she doesn’t like the person she has become? The fact that Carmilla somehow found a way back into her life, and she just so happened to cheat on her fiancé? Or maybe the issue that Danny freaked out and hit her…a lot? 

“Uh oh, I know that tone. What’s wrong Honey?” Her father’s voice was filled with concern.

“Danny and I got in a really bad fight Dad. I know you said you’d be busy and Thanksgiving is tomorrow, but would it be okay if I came home anyway? “ Laura asked while gnawing her bottom lip. 

“Of course you can Laura! Don’t be silly dear. Is everything okay?”

“I can’t really explain everything right now but I’m okay. Thanks dad, I’ll see you in a couple days.” Laura smiled. A gentle knock at the door caught Laura’s attention as she said her goodbyes to her Dad. Carmilla shyly entered the room walking towards Laura. She was already wearing her jacket and Laura knew this was going to be goodbye. For how long she didn’t know. 

“Everything alright?” Carmilla asked raising her eyebrows in question.

“Um yeah, I just called my Dad. I’m going to stay with him for a few days until I get everything figured out.” Laura explained quietly. She didn’t exactly want Carmilla to leave.

“That’s probably for the best.” Carmilla nodded.” I hope you don’t mind, but I programmed my number into your phone. In case you need anything. “ She shrugged. Laura could see the faint tints of a blush creeping up her neck at the confession.

“Thanks Carm.” Laura breathed out while smiling at the floor

“Alright well I have to go head to the office now. Goodbye Laura.” Suddenly Carmilla was in Laura’s space and everything seemed to stop. Gentle lips touched Laura’s cheek and rushed away as Carmilla turned around and walked out the door.

Laura stared at Carmilla’s door for an embarrassing amount of time before deciding to raid Carmilla’s closet again. She grabbed a pair of grey sweatpants and slipped them on over her shorts. She was going to have Kirsch drop her off at the train station so she didn’t need to wear anything presentable. Besides she still had a bunch of clothes at her father’s house she could change into if she needed. Laura tucked her phone into the pocket of the sweat pants and walked towards the kitchen. Kirsch was slipping on a pair of black sweatpants over his boxers and gathering his gym bag near the door. He looked at Laura and smiled brightly at her.

“Hey Kirsch, would you mind dropping me off at the train station? I’m going to be staying at my dad’s house for a couple days.” Laura asked.

“Sure thing Laura! Um don’t take this the wrong way dude, but are you sure you don’t want to try and cover up those bruises first?” Kirsch asked hesitantly. He squished his face in a look of concern placed his hands in his pocket.

“I would, but I can’t really look into a mirror right now.” Laura responded quietly. She looked at the ground and felt tears begin to sting her eyes. She hated feeling so small.

“I could help you! I used to put make up on my little sisters all the time.” Kirsch laughed and reached his hand out for Laura. Once Laura gave him her hand he lead her into Carmilla’s bathroom and began to go through the drawers looking for Carmilla’s make-up. Laura walked into the bathroom avoiding the mirror and hopped up on the counter waiting for Kirsch to find what he was looking for. 

“I didn’t know you had sisters.” Laura stated. She watched Kirsch laugh as he found the make-up and began to pull out all the different components.

“Yeah, I have three younger sisters. My mother was exactly around a lot so their Big Brother had to help them with all the girl stuff.” Kirsch explained while smoothing foundation gently over Laura’s face and neck. He was being so delicate and cradling Laura’s face as he worked.

“Thank you. I don’t know what would have happened if you weren’t there for me last night Kirsch. You are such a good friend.” Laura fought back tears.

“You’re welcome. I’m always here for family.” Kirsch smiled. He began to blend different shades into Laura’s skin, practically giving her a full face of make-up for the day. “All done.” 

Laura slowly turned around and peered into the mirror. She was speechless. You couldn’t even tell there was any bruises on her face with Kirsch’s handy work. It just looked like Laura was a little tired and had dark circles under her eyes. She could work with that.

“Oh my god Kirsch. You’re amazing!” Laura laughed. She hopped off the counter and immediately wrapped her arms around Kirsch in a big bear hug.

“No problem! Come on, we better get going so you can grab an early train ride home.”

……………….

On the way to the train station Kirsch handed Laura her wallet, stating that he grabbed it before he left her house last night. She looked out the window at all the buildings rushing by. She couldn’t figure out if everything felt like a dream or if she was finally waking up from one.

“Hey Kirsch, how did you end up talking to Carmilla again?” Laura asked. She looked over at Kirsch observing how relaxed he looked as he drove. He was such a good man, Laura had no idea how Betty could leave him.

“I actually ran into her a few weeks ago at my gym. We ended up talking for a while and decided we would be work-out bro’s. Although she mainly does cardio; something about trying to keep her heart strong.” Kirsch explained. He pulled into the parking lot of the train station and parked the car. They both got out of the car and began to walk into the building. Laura could feel her phone buzzing in her pocket. Figuring it was Danny again, she chose to ignore it. Kirsch waited in line with her to purchase her ticket and even kept her company until the train got there. Laura gave him a big hug goodbye and thanked him a hundred more times before getting onto her bus.

As she got comfortable in her seat she pulled out her phone and headphones that she borrowed from Carmilla’s room. Without reading the messages she deleted Danny’s thread and opened up Perry’s thread.

Perry (4:26am): Laura are you okay? Danny just woke me up banging on my door asking where you were.

Perry (4:30am): I know this is your business Dear, but please do not go home tonight. Danny’s demeanor was scaring me so I kicked her out of my house.

Perry (7:01am): Laura please just tell me you’re safe.

Laura (12:43pm): Hey Perr I’m okay. Danny and I got in a fight and she got physical. I’m on the train heading to my dad’s right now. I’ll call you when I get there.

Perry (12:44pm): Okay. She still thinks you’re at my house and I’ll tell her you are so she doesn’t find you. 

Laura (12:45pm) Thanks Perr

Laura plugged her headphones into her phone and opened up Spotify. It was a 6 hour train ride so she had plenty of time to think about what her plan should be. She sighed and looked out the window as the music began to sooth her thoughts. Maybe everything wouldn’t turn so bad. There had to be some sort of silver lining in this right?


	14. Home

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Another context chapter to build up the story a bit. the next few chapters will be more...eventful. I will also be re-editing everything to make this an easier read. Thank you so much for all your encouraging comments and feed back. It warms my heart to see everyone enjoying the story so far!

After grabbing a taxi the rest of the way, Laura pulled into her father’s drive way at 8 at night. She felt an instant relief upon seeing her old childhood home. Her father lived in a simple two story home in a beautiful suburban community outside of New York. The outside of the house was a faded light blue color, with rose bushed aligning the porch and wrapping around to the back of the house. There was an old basketball hoop near the driveway where Laura and her cousins would play basketball while her father manned the grill during family cookouts. There were navy blue shutters around the windows of the house and a big bay window in front of the living room; of course with the curtains closed.

Laura walked up the steps to the house and opened up her wallet to fish out her old house key. Her Dad painted it a royal blue and painted on two windows, indicating it to be the Dr. Who Tardis. She entered the home taking in the familiar smell of cookies and cinnamon. She loved that even after her Mother’s death, her Father still found a way to make the house smell like her baking. Closing the front door she began to walk around the house, smiling as her mind engulfed itself with memories. She walked through the hall and entered the living room. There were two large brown leather sofas that were perfectly worn from the years of use. A big oak coffee table centered the room, matching the end tables on the side of the sofas. Under it was a big patterned cream and brown rug. A giant entertainment center was against the wall with all Laura’s seasons of Dr. Who, Buffy, Friends, Scrubs, and every other pop culture television show she watched growing up. There were big soft blankets and pillows scattered on the sofas to give it a warm homey atmosphere. Paintings hung on the walls along with old pictures of Laura’s family.

Across from the Living room was the kitchen where Laura’s mother Sarah would spend hours cooking and baking. Laura could still hear her Mother’s voice shouting into the living room for her to set the table because dinner was going to be finished soon. She looked down on the counter and smiled seeing a note laying out for her.

_Sweet heart,_   
_There are left overs in the fridge if you’re hungry. I’ll be home sometime tomorrow afternoon._   
_I love you,_   
_Dad_

Laura helped herself to the food in the fridge and cleaned up before heading upstairs to her old bedroom. She opened the door and looked around taking everything in. Her walls were painted a baby blue color that was barely seen due to the crazy amounts of pictures and posters taped to the walls. There were posters of Dr.Who and Peggy Carter. Posters of cities Laura dreamed about seeing someday, like Venice and Rome. Her younger self plastered items to represent her dreams and ambitions all over her room.

Laura couldn’t help but feel out of place standing in her old sanctuary. She no longer recognized herself. She couldn’t recall having any new ambitions or goals for herself, apart from things Danny wanted. Laura felt sick to her stomach as she realized how far she has changed from the head strong girl she used to be. That Laura would have been ashamed to discover who she had become. Sure teaching middle school was an honorable job, but Laura wanted to be an investigative journalist. She wanted to make a difference in what people perceived the world to be.

Sulking, Laura turned off the light in her room and fell into her old bed. She felt her body relax into the clouds of blankets and pillows, enjoying the comforting feeling it gave. She pulled out her phone from her pocket and quickly swiped past Danny’s unread texts and chose to text Perry instead. She told her best friend that she made it home safe and recommended Perry to ask Kirsch to stay over for a couple nights. That was Perry wasn’t alone with a crazed Danny believing Laura to be there. Laura searched through her contacts for Carmilla’s name so she could text her as well.

**Laura (9:15pm):** Hey I just wanted to let you know I made it okay. Thanks for everything Carmilla.

Laura fidgeted with her phone waiting for a reply, when her phone buzzed.

**Carmilla (9:19pm)** : You’re welcome Cupcake. Maybe in a few days we can talk about what happened in the club? Enjoy seeing your dad and figuring everything out! Goodnight.

Laura’s breathe got caught in her throat as she red Carmilla’s text. She wanted to talk about them having sex in the club? Why?

**Laura (9:22pm)** : Okay. Goodnight Carm.

Laura placed her phone face down against the side table and rolled over facing the window. She tucked herself against the extra pillows on her bed and felt her body quickly settle into sleep.

……………….

Laura woke up in a haze with her hair plastered to her face from dried drool. Disoriented, it took her a few minutes to figure out where she was. Sighing heavily she rubbed the sleep out of her eyes and reached for her phone.

**7 unread texts from Danny**   
**2 unread texts from Dad**   
**1 unread text from Carmilla**

She deleted Danny’s thread and opened up her father’s instead.

**Dad (10:15am)** : Hey Sweetheart. Long shift at the station, I should be home around 5 tonight.   
**Dad (10:16am):** Want me to pick up dinner?

Laura looked at the time and it was a little after 11 in the morning. Her body must have really needed to catch up on sleep. She typed out a quick reply to her father and opened up Carmilla’s text.

**Carmilla (10:05am)** : You should find a way to get your hands on a box of glazed Krispy Kreme’s while you’re over there.

Laura found herself smiling over the fact that Carmilla remembered her favorite donut shop was nearby. She couldn’t help but feel a warm feeling rush over her as she thought about how much Carmilla remembered the things she said all those years ago. Laura wondered if she recalled as much about Carmilla, and she does about her.

Shrugging, Laura got out of bed and headed for the bathroom down the hall. She turned on the light and faced the mirror frowning. She still had some of the makeup Kirsch put on for her from yesterday, but a lot of it rubbed off. She could see the bruising under her eye and along her cheek. She debated if she wanted to cover them back up of if she was okay with letting her dad see them. She knew he was going to be furious upon discovering the fact that his little girl gotten hit by the person she agreed to marry. He was after all a police chief. He was probably going to try and convince Laura to press charges and she wasn’t sure if she even wanted to. Could she really jeopardize Danny’s career over a quick burst of anger? Yes, It was horrific but did that mean Danny had to lose everything because of one mistake?

Laura sighed and began to undress and turn on the shower. After letting the water heat up to a proper temperature, she climbed in and began to wet her hair. Her brain flashed back to her last shower with Carmilla. How gentle Carmilla was with her fragile body, a complete opposite to how she treated her body hours earlier. Laura recalled the filthy things she told Carmilla while they fucked on that black sofa. Laura sighed as her body began to heat up the more she thought about her encounter with Carmilla. She didn’t have time to enjoy the shower as much as she wanted, so she settled for washing her body and hair. Laura wanted to eat something and prepare some kind of explanation for her dad about what has been going on the last couple days.

Carmilla was right though. They really did need to talk about what has been going on between them.


	15. Hey Dad...

Laura was lounging on the big beaten in sofa watching tv, when her dad got home from work. After she heard the door open she slowly turned off the tv in the living room and walked into the kitchen.

“Laura? Sweetheart are you home?” Her father called out. She could hear him kick off his shoes near the door and the sounds of him struggling with the take out bags.

“Yeah Dad. I’m in the living room.” She called back, bracing herself for the inevitable.

“I stopped by and picked up those cookies I know you lo-LAURA! WHAT THE HELL HAS HAPPENED TO YOUR FACE?” He yelled upon seeing his daughters beaten face. He quickly set the carry out bags on the counter and gripped Laura’s shoulders to bring her into the light to see her better.

“I know it looks bad, but Dad I need you to calm down so I can explain.” She said calmly while her dad moved her face all around to look at the bruising. Thankfully the swelling had gone down a lot but the bruises still looked pretty bad.

“Laura who did this!” Her father asked while staring her right in the eye. All Laura could see in her father’s eyes was fear. She hated seeing him like this, it reminded her about how he looked when they lost her mother.

“Danny did.” Laura answered quietly. Her father looked at her in confusion and disbelief. Laura took this as her chance to break loose from his grip and sit down at the dining room table.

“What do you mean Danny did this!? Laura what happened!?” Her father demanded. He walked into the dining room and sat down at the table waiting for his daughter’s reply.

“Well its sort of a long story, but I was out late a couple nights ago and when I got home Danny freaked out. Kirsch was sleeping on my couch because he’s separating from his wife and Danny assumed I was cheating on her with him. She got really mad and so she started to hit me. Kirsch woke up and ended up knocking her out and getting me out of there.” Laura explained watching the features on her fathers face twist in confusion.

“But you would never cheat Laura.” Her dad shook his head. Sighing deeply Laura closed her eyes and continued her story.

“Well that’s the thing. I did cheat on her Dad, just not with Kirsch. A couple weeks ago I ran into Carmilla in the city,” Laura said. Her Father’s eyes flashed with something once she said her exe’s name. “She is a big shot CEO for this company down the road from where I live. Perry needed a job so I went into Carm’s office and pitched the idea of Perry working for her. Carmilla ended up telling me that she never cheated on me back in college. The girl I saw her with was her brother’s secret girlfriend, who he is now marrying! I was going mad from the information and when I confronted Carmilla about it, we ended up….doing things.” Laura was now crying as she confessed her betrayal to her father. Laura sat there crying into her hands as she waited for her father’s lecture about how disappointed he was with her actions. Her father sighed.

“Do you remember what I told you after you told me you were a lesbian?” Her father asked, pulling Laura’s hands away from her tear stained face.

“Thank god you finally said it?” Laura laughed trying to wipe away the tears spilling down her face.

“After that.” He laughed. “I told you that you better find someone who treats you well. Someone who deserves you. Do you think that person is Danny? She clearly showed you what she is capable of. And Carmilla. Well…..do you know how you feel about her?” He reached out and softly held his daughters hand. He was still furious someone hurt is Baby Girl, but he realized Laura needed compassion and support right now.

“I don’t know Dad. I’m realizing that I don’t know who I am anymore. I lost myself being with Danny. I’m so ashamed! I know I don’t want to be the person I was with Danny, and I don’t want to be with her anymore. But I don’t know Carmilla anymore. I don’t know if she is a good person or if she even cares about me anymore.”

“Well Sweetheart, first you have to figure out what you want. Then you need to figure out who you want, and go from there. If it were up to me I would throw Danny’s ass in jail. I never liked her or the way she coddled you. And that’s coming from an over protective father!” He smiled. He squeezed Laura’s hand trying to give her comfort.

“And what did you think about Carmilla?” Laura asked hesitantly. Laura watched her father’s expression change into a softer demeanor thinking about his answer.

“Laura, do you recall that every year the station gets a very sizeable donation around Christmas time?” He asked, looking into his daughters eyes.

“Yeah?” She answered, not knowing where he was going with this.

“That donation helps with so many things. It’s the reason why we can afford to give everyone Christmas bonuses and help out the community. Well the donation is sent every year with a Christmas card, and every year it is signed by a C. Karnstein. With a heart like hers, I never believed she could cheat on you. She loved you too much.” And with that, Laura watched her father get up and walking into the kitchen to prepare dinner.

Laura continued to sit at the dining room table as she tried to process what her father was telling her. Every year Carmilla donated a huge chunk of money to the police station Laura’s father worked at? Even after everything they went through? And her dad knew this whole time that it was Carmilla, and yet her let his daughter tell him how terrible of a person she was?

A few minutes later Laura’s father brought in two plates of smoked salmon and veggies. They ate comfortably as Laura listened to her father talk about how things have been going at the station and how he was probably going to have to back in tomorrow morning. He must have sensed that his daughter didn’t want to talk about her situation anymore, because he didn’t bring it up again for the rest of the night. After dinner, Laura and her father watched tv and her father apologized about how they had missed spending thanksgiving together. They stayed up until about 10 before her father said goodnight and she retreated to her room upstairs.

Laura sat on her bed and thought about what her dad said. She already established that she didn’t want to be with Danny anymore, but did that mean she didn’t want to teach? How was she going to get all her things back from Danny’s? Laura really didn’t want to talk to the lawyer. She didn’t care what kind of excuse Danny would give to explain her actions. Laura didn’t want to be with someone who was capable of hitting her if they lost their temper.

Then there was Carmilla. Laura had to admit that seeing Carmilla again did ignite a fire with in her that Laura has not felt in a long time. She couldn’t deny the feeling of home that seeped into Laura’s bones when seeing Carmilla. She couldn’t deny the primal NEED she felt for Carmilla when they reunited their bodies as one. But is that all that it was? Closure sex? Something told Laura that wasn’t the case after the way Carmilla treated her when she helped her clean up. Laura keeps discovering all these new things about Carmilla that destroy the hate she felt for her the last 6 years. Laura opened up Carmilla’s thread in her phone and began to type out a message.

**Laura (10:45pm):** My dad told me about your secret santa gift to the station every year.

**Carmilla (10:45pm):** That ruins the secret part of the exchange now doesn’t it.

**Laura (10:46pm):** Why’d you do it Carm?

**Carmilla (10:48pm):** It was my way to make sure the holidays stayed magical for your family.

Laura re read the message over and over again. Trying to figure out what that meant.

**Laura (10:55pm)** : Can you come over tomorrow? We should talk.

**Carmilla (10:56pm):** I have meetings until 1pm but I can head over after. Be there around 7?

**Laura (10:57pm):** Sounds good. Goodnight Carm.

Laura smiled at her phone before plugging it into the charger and tucking herself under the covers. She needed to talk to Carmilla and figure this out. Figure out her emotions and plan what to do next. Laura fell asleep that night feeling more like her old self than she had in years.


End file.
